


Chicken Fried Stakeout

by ClagJanetSMK



Series: The Sundance Stories [8]
Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Genre: Action/Adventure, Corporate Espionage, F/M, Fluff, Innuendo, References to Drugs, Service Above and Beyond, Undercover as a Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 03:58:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17953166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClagJanetSMK/pseuds/ClagJanetSMK
Summary: Lee takes Amanda as his date to a reception for Quickie Chickie Snack Shack. In, out, easy peasy, right? Of course not. It's never that simple.





	1. Taking Stock

**Author's Note:**

> Picks up pretty much exactly where we left off in "Horsing Around"

"You look great," said Francine as Amanda limped into the Georgetown lobby, decked out for her evening with Lee at the Quickie Chickie reception.

"Oh yeah – the cast really sets off my eyes," deadpanned Amanda.

"Do you really still need to be wearing that?" asked Francine. "It seems like it's been a long time for a simple twisted ankle. I feel like my broken cheekbone is healing faster than your ankle."

"Well, I wouldn't still be wearing it if I hadn't gotten cocky and re-injured it showing the boys how to do a hook slide again. And I really don't need it most of the time, but I still can't wear heels, so at least it explains to people why I'm wearing flats with this dress," explained Amanda. "As it is, I had to tell my mother I was working as a hostess for a film reception tonight because there was no way I'd get away with dressing up this nicely without her expecting royalty again." She looked around the lobby. "Have you seen Lee? He's supposed to be…" She was interrupted by the door to the elevator swinging open and Lee stepping out. There was a beat while they surveyed each other and then:

"You look nice," they said at exact same time, then stopped and smiled at each other as they realized.

_Oh my God, how did I forget what she looked like in that dress?_ thought Lee. _I'll have the prettiest date there._

_Oh my gosh, how did I not think about how cute he'd be in a tux?_ thought Amanda _. Mother would die if she could see my date for the evening. Not a date,_ she corrected herself _, an escort._ She tried not to laugh out loud picturing what her mother would say if she'd ever said she was going out as an escort tonight.

Lee's breath caught as Amanda went from pretty to beautiful as her face lit up with some secret joke. _How does that song go?_ he thought _She can turn the world on with her smile?_

"Nice?" interrupted Francine. "Geez you two! Without me and Efraim there to bump up the bell curve, you'll be the cutest couple there."

"We're not a couple," Lee and Amanda said in unison again, both blushing when Francine crowed with laughter.

"Sure you are," she smirked. "You're Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy, Butch and his lovely wife, Hopalong!"

Amanda groaned at the terrible joke and Lee extended his arm, crooking his elbow and gesturing to the door. "Let's get out of here before she really gets going," he said.

"Come back tomorrow! Try the meatloaf!" Francine called after them. "I'll be here all week!"

"Pretty sure they'll only be offering chicken tonight!" Lee shot back as they headed out onto the street. "But if you're lucky, we'll bring the K9 squad a doggy bag!"

"Finally figured that one out, huh?" Amanda smiled as Francine hooted with laughter behind them.

"No," Lee admitted in a rueful tone. "Beaman had to clue me in." He opened the passenger door to the Porsche and helped her in. "You really do look nice," he added.

"So do you," she answered. "I'll bet the girls fall all over you at black tie events like this!"

"I do alright," he grinned, then hastily added, "But I'm working tonight, so don't worry!"

"Well I wasn't worried until you said that!" she teased him. "But since you literally can't dance with the girl that brung ya, don't let me stop you enjoying yourself!"

"You know, I don't think I've ever had somebody encourage me to shop around during a date before," he grinned back at her.

"Well, I'm not a date, am I?" she pointed out comfortably, then turned to look at him. "But that reminds me - what am I, actually?"

"Window dressing," he answered, laughing when she made an annoyed face. "Okay, first off, you're here because I thought you'd enjoy it but honestly, it's also a lot less noticeable if I walk in with a date. And if you want to keep your eyes and ears open while I meet my contact, that could be useful but other than that, you really do just get to enjoy yourself. Have a few drinks, enjoy the hors d'ouevres, light up the dance floor with a cha-cha… oh yeah," he stopped when she rolled her eyes. "Maybe not the dancing. But you can mingle, socialize…"

"Flirt with handsome men in tuxes?" Amanda interrupted.

"Um, yeah, sure," replied Lee. "If you really want to," he added, a tinge of doubt in his voice. "Just don't tell them who you really are, Kid; this is supposed to be a party for movers and shakers, not agents and -"

"Housewives from the steno pool? Okay," she answered. "I doubt there's much chance of any of that anyway. Dean looked like an overstuffed telethon announcer when he wore a tux at the last station event; I imagine Washington parties are probably pretty much the same in that department."

"Pretty much," agreed Lee, carefully ignoring the small pang of relief he felt at her easy dismissal of the likely dating pool. "It'll probably be a lot of middle-aged balding men and their trophy wives."

"No princes this time? No millionaires?" she asked, shaking her head dolefully in mock disappointment. "What a dump."

"Well, our host fills the millionaire bill," said Lee. "James Delano, the guy who owns Quickie Chickie, is supposedly making some kind of big expansion announcement tonight."

"Oh well, in that case, he's probably not a millionaire right now," said Amanda. Lee cocked an eye at her and she went on. "Expansion is expensive in the short run so all his money is probably tied up at the moment, although if it goes well, it won't be long until he's a millionaire again."

"Didn't you do your degree in American Lit?" asked Lee in confusion. "How do you know so much about business?"

"My Ladies Investment Club," she explained, forging on when he didn't look any less baffled. "We have a neighborhood moms' group fund that looks for stocks to invest in and before we can suggest a stock, we have to research them to make sure it's safe. We're not trying to get really rich, we just need some extra money since we're mostly single mothers, you know? So we mostly look at blue chip stuff because we may not expect to get rich, but we can't really afford to lose a lot either."

"That's… amazing," said Lee shaking his head. "Once again, suburban moms are _way_ more savvy than I thought! Any chance you've done any research in Quickie Chickie?" he asked.

"No, I think they might be privately owned," Amanda answered. "We do like to invest where we shop, so I feel like someone would have tried. Then again, we have 500 shares in Marvellous Marvin's Burgers, so maybe we're already invested in enough fast food."

"Well, keep your ears open tonight then. Maybe your stock smarts will let you hear something that'll turn out to be useful."

"Well, being useful sounds like more fun than being window dressing."

Lee looked at her and replied in a serious tone. "Well this evening is all about having fun. You know, since we _never_ have any."

"Oh Lee, you know I was teasing when I said that," Amanda sighed. "Besides," she went on, "I've already lowered my expectations where that's concerned."

"Oh really? How so?" Somehow, he knew she was up to something… there was just _something_ mischievous in her voice.

"Well, I've decided that from now on, any evening where my clothes stay intact and you're still on your feet qualifies as a fun evening."

There was a long silence before Lee looked over accusingly. "Okay, you did that on purpose that time."

Amanda tried her best to look innocent but didn't manage for long before she began to laugh. "Hey, a girl has to get her fun somewhere on a night out with you."

Lee gave an overly theatrical eye roll. "Tell you what – I'll aim for those two and you aim for staying out of trouble. Deal?"

"Deal."


	2. Sundance Rides Again

It was a nice party, thought Amanda. Not royal reception nice maybe, but it also wasn't getting interrupted by an assassination attempt, so she was at least a little more comfortable this time. Lee had disappeared a few minutes before, telling her quietly that he'd be back in a few minutes and not to worry. From her perch near the bar, she watched James Delano give his speech about the expansion into East Germany. He was a distant second to Lee in the tux wearing department, but Lee hadn't been kidding about the middle-aged men quota, so competition was slim.

Amanda looked around for Lee, certain he'd want to know all about the business announcement, but he was still off somewhere having that secret meeting. However, something in her movement must have caught Delano's attention because he paused for a moment, right in the middle of his speech, and smiled at her as she turned back to face him. Embarrassed at having been caught not paying attention to the big announcement, Amanda smiled back, blushing.

She didn't think any more about it, until Delano suddenly appeared at her elbow a few minutes after he came off the stage, smiling at her even more attentively.

"I don't know who you came with, but he's a fool to leave such a vision of loveliness unattended," he murmured.

"Oh! I'm not really unattended," Amanda protested. "Just temporarily abandoned."

"Well, it shouldn't have happened, even temporarily," purred Delano in his oddly-inflected mid-Atlantic accent. "I'm James Delano, your host. And you are?"

Amanda looked around for Lee, hoping for rescue, but he was still nowhere to be seen. _Don't tell anyone who you are, Kid._

_You could be Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy..._

"I'm, uh...Sun-… Sunny K-K-...Cassidy," Amanda grasped at the first names that came to mind.

"Sunny? How charming! Like Sunny Von Bulow?" Delano asked.

"Gosh, I hope not," exclaimed Amanda. "She's in a coma, isn't she?"

Delano burst out laughing, and took Amanda's hand to kiss her fingertips. "A woman with a sense of humor! I love that!"

Amanda was a little uncomfortable with the attention and snuck a quick look around for Lee again, spotting him just walking back into the room. "Oh, there's my date!" she said. Delano turned to where she was looking, and thus had an equally good view as Amanda did when Lee stopped to chat with a dazzling blonde who had reached out to snag his arm as he went by. She was making no bones about her intentions and it was equally obvious from Lee's demeanor that her attention wasn't unwelcome.

"That's your date?" asked Delano in a slightly disbelieving tone.

Amanda chuckled weakly and then blushed as Delano turned back to her, eyebrows raised. "Oh Lee can just never resist a beautiful woman, but as long as he remembers to drive me home, I don't take it too seriously!"

Delano turned to survey Lee and the blonde who were now even closer together, the girl whispering something in his ear that made his ready grin broaden. "Hmmm, well if he forgets his part of that bargain, I would be delighted to drive you home myself," Delano announced, a slight tone of disapproval in his voice.

"Oh no!" said Amanda, horror stricken. "That won't be necessary! Lee's never forgotten me yet!" _But he_ _would definitely kill me if I let Delano drive me home to suburban Arlington._

They both looked over to where Lee was untangling himself from the blonde's embrace just a little too slowly. "If you say so," said Delano, doubt evident in his tone.

Amanda wondered if she had been mentally broadcasting panicked vibes because Lee suddenly looked up and met her eyes. He immediately straightened up, frowning, the blonde completely forgotten after a brusque farewell that left her pouting after him and bee-lined across the room toward Amanda.

Lee sized up Delano as he approached, not quite certain what his expression was but recognizing that element of disapproval so familiar from his childhood. As he got closer, he realized Delano's hand was resting on top of Amanda's on the bar and that her eyes were wide.

_She's not having fun._

He had no idea what Amanda might have said, but decided pure cockiness would work best and greeted them immediately with "Darling! I'm sorry I've been gone so long! Have you been having a nice time meeting people?"

It was Delano who answered before she could. "Sunny has been a charming companion. It's so nice to meet a woman with real… sophistication." Delano's eyes flicked past Lee's shoulder to where, without even looking, Lee just knew that blonde was already moving on to her next target. He lifted an eyebrow at Amanda. _Sunny?_ he asked silently, and she shrugged apologetically as if to say _I didn't know what else to say_.

"Well, thank you for looking after my little ray of sunshine," he tried to sound jovial. "My name is…" To Amanda's horror, Francine's joke must have embedded itself in his brain as well. "Cassidy."

"Oh no," he heard her sigh too late.

"Oh, so you're not just the lovely Sunny's date then? You're her husband?" asked Delano.

A quick glance at Amanda showed that she had closed her eyes and was shaking her head slightly in disbelief. Lee realized the reason behind the disapproving look Delano had given him earlier. "Well, I sure am!" said Lee immediately. "I mean, we couldn't be brother and sister now, could we? We don't look a bit alike!"

Amanda made a quickly stifled hiccupping noise of laughter, which she instantly turned into a cough. "Yes, this is my husband, Lee, Mr. Delano."

Delano's gaze suddenly sharpened and Lee's instincts went on full alert.

"Lee Cassidy?" repeated Delano. "As in Leland Cassidy of Dynamica Industries? I wasn't aware you were on the guest list tonight."

_In for a penny, in for a pound_ thought Lee. "One and the same!" he answered with confidence as he wracked his brain trying to remember why that company sounded familiar. "But I'm not surprised you hadn't heard I was coming to the party. I heard through the grapevine there might be some investment opportunities tonight and finagled myself a last minute invitation."

"Well I'm delighted to meet you at last," said Delano and Lee breathed a sigh of relief, an emotion that vanished as Delano went on, "You know, I thought you'd have more of an accent, growing up in Australia."

"Oh I learned a long time ago that people take you more seriously in business if you have an American accent so I made sure to get one." He moved to grasp Amanda's arm, intent on getting her out of the lion's den as fast as possible, especially after everything he'd just learned from Delano's accountant.

"Money truly will buy almost anything," chuckled Delano. "And speaking of which, I would be delighted if you would let me take you both to dinner tomorrow night. I'd love the opportunity to discuss my little investment opportunity with you and of course, to spend some more time with your charming wife."

Lee's grip on Amanda's arm tightened as he surreptitiously hauled her to her feet. "Well that little opportunity is exactly why I came tonight but can I get back to you for details on that dinner in the morning? I'll need to check my calendar."

"But of course," said Delano genially, pulling a card case from his pocket and plucking one out to hand to Lee. "Have your people call my people."

_Your people?_ Lee stifled the urge to roll his eyes and began to edge Amanda toward the door. "Sure will!"

* * *

 

"Well how was I supposed to know you'd pick Cassidy too? I thought you'd use something closer to your name!" Amanda defended herself in an injured tone as they drove away from the party.

"Well if I'm Butch, of course I'm Cassidy! Why didn't you pick something closer to _your_ name?" Lee fingers were drumming the Porsche's steering wheel like he was Keith Moon.

"That's what I did!" said Amanda indignantly. "I started to say King and then caught myself and then Francine's stupid joke made me say Cassidy!"

"Oh. Right. Well, that was actually pretty smart," said Lee in a sheepish voice.

"If we're going to pretend to be other people, maybe we should discuss stuff like that _before_ we get there?" grumbled Amanda.

"Well, I didn't really think you'd have to be anyone else," Lee admitted, still in that same embarrassed tone. "I thought you'd just-"

"Sit in a corner and wait for you to come back?" sniped Amanda and watched his face redden. "Which is what I _was_ doing," she admitted, deciding to let him off the hook, "until he came up and started flirting with me out of the blue. That was weird."

"No, it's not," said Lee in a gruff tone. "You looked like you were there by yourself and you were the prettiest girl in the room. He'd have been an idiot not to hit on you."

"Oh," said Amanda. "Thank you," she added, ducking her head with embarrassment. "So, uh, did you get all the information you needed?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I got some but not nearly enough," Lee answered, letting her distract him. "We know Delano is involved with Curt Hollander somehow so there's something more to this East German deal than just chickens and my contact says there may have been a murder over it. And I'm a bit worried it might be the agent we had covering Hollander – it would explain why he's missed his check-ins."

"A murder?" squeaked Amanda. "Delano may have murdered someone?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" said Lee hurriedly. "Hollander is the one I'd look at for that kind of stuff. No, James Delano isn't dangerous – he's just mixed up with dangerous people." He glanced over at Amanda, and raced to reassure her. "But don't worry – you won't have to see him again. Your lucky streak may have just handed me a perfect cover to continue to get close to this without raising any suspicions. At least, I hope it has – why the hell is that name so familiar?"

"Yeah, whoever Leland Cassidy is, Delano seemed pretty excited to meet him."

"Yeah – a little too excited." Lee stared thoughtfully out the windshield as he continued to drive. "I don't suppose your housewife club had ever looked at Dynamica Industries?" he asked hopefully.

"Sorry, not that I can remember."

"It was a long shot. I'll just hit up the computer when we get back to the Agency."

"Do you need help with that? My typing skills are way better than yours."

"What?" Lee glanced over and started to laugh. "Sorry, I meant the human computer. If Efraim doesn't know everything I need off the top of his head, then I'll have to really do research."

"Oh, of course," Amanda smiled. "Well, I'm still available to help. Mother won't expect me back so early."

"Yeah, sorry the evening got cut kind of short," Lee replied.

"Oh Lee, don't be silly – it wasn't that kind of evening. I know you're working," Amanda said comfortably. "I'm just glad I could help."

"Wow, I wish all my dates were as understanding as you," he grinned.

"Well, I'm not a real date, am I?" laughed Amanda. "I'm your wife!"

Lee burst out laughing. "Yeah, I guess you are, Mrs. Cassidy."

"Good. Then we can expect you for Thanksgiving dinner next week," Amanda went on. "Mother will be so excited!"

The Porsche swerved slightly out of its lane as Lee jerked his head to look at Amanda. "What?"

"If we're married, I think the least you can do is come for family dinner," said Amanda. She turned wide innocent eyes on him. "Don't you?"

Lee rushed to try and stammer out an excuse. "Uh, Amanda, I don't… I mean, me and holidays, that's not something I do… I mean, it's nice of you to invite me, but…"

"I'm teasing," she couldn't help laughing reaching over to pat his hand. "I know you're on the duty roster for the whole weekend. Besides, can you imagine if I really brought you home to meet my mother?" She gave a mock shudder. "If I thought she'd laid it on thick with Dean, I can only imagine what she'd be like if she thought _we_ were dating!"

Lee was torn between relief and disappointment that the invitation hadn't been real. "Well, maybe I'll get to meet her someday and sweep her off her feet."

"If anyone could, you could," laughed Amanda. "She's always had a thing for bad boys."

"You think I'm a bad boy?"

"Oh yeah. Fast cars and fast women – that's you," she nodded. She glanced over at Lee in the silence that followed her answer. "On the surface, I mean," she went on, reaching out again to rest her hand more firmly on his arm this time. "That's not who you really are."

"You don't think so?" he replied flatly as they pulled up at a red light.

"Lee." She squeezed his arm until he glanced sideways. "I know it's not." They stared at each other for a moment until Amanda gave a decisive nod and he finally relaxed.

"Bad boy or not, my mother would still make you take her racing in this car though," she added, giggling.

"Would she now?" When Lee turned to her, dimples back in full force and eyebrows waggling, she knew what was about to happen and braced herself against the door, as he revved the engine.

"No, she wouldn't!" Amanda started to backtrack rapidly. "I was kidding – she hates driving! Even the Key Bridge scares her to death when…OH MY GOSH!" she screamed, her bubbling laugh turning into a whoop of pure exhilaration as the light turned green and Lee floored it, tearing down the dark empty streets of D.C. toward Georgetown.


	3. Covering the Cover

"So let me get this straight – Francine made a joke, Amanda used that joke to come up with a fake name, you then accidentally used the _same_ fake name for a cover and now James Delano thinks you're Leland Cassidy, the multi-billionaire recluse owner of Dynamica Industries, one of the biggest defense companies this side of the Mississippi?"

Lee's was sitting in Billy's office, bent forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "Yes," came the muffled answer.

Efraim, it turned out, had been a fount of information on Leland Cassidy – or at least as much of a fount as anyone could be about a man who guarded his privacy more thoroughly than Fort Knox. As near as they could tell, Lee's age was about right so that was a point in their favor. Cassidy had inherited his fortune from an industrialist father in his early twenties, but even then he had been an enigma, a man hidden throughout his entire childhood by parents who remembered the Lindbergh kidnapping all too well and made sure that he lived a shadow existence far from the limelight, growing up in the Australian outback. On reaching adulthood, Cassidy had obviously decided that this kind of anonymity was a godsend and had rarely been seen in public. There were no known photos of him, no stories of relationships or children or friends. Nothing at all really except the occasional word of mouth tidbit that he'd been seen canoeing down the Amazon or a rumor he was scaling Mount Everest. Even his parents' funerals had been completely private affairs, held on the grounds of their massive estate in Delaware. ("From what I can see, it's big enough that it might actually _be_ the state of Delaware," Efraim had joked.)

There was a long silence and then Billy began to chuckle, which quickly turned into full-blown wheezing guffaws as he leaned back in his office chair.

"You're not mad?" asked Lee, looking up at his boss hopefully.

"Well you didn't do it on purpose, did you?" asked Billy, still chuckling. "And if we'd been looking for a better cover to get inside whatever Hollander is up to with trading information of the Pershing missile sites, we couldn't have found one."

"But _is_ it a good cover?" asked Lee, worriedly. "We don't use the names of real people for a reason, especially not famous people! What if Hollander knows Cassidy? Or knows someone that does? All it's going to take is one guy who met him in the Andes once and it's game over."

Billy shrugged. "Worse comes to worst, you pretend to come clean as a con man who's just been attending parties to score the free food and grift a few people. But it's only for a few days – I'm sure we can keep anyone from finding out that you're not the real Leland Cassidy." He leaned forward again and started flipping through the slim file Lee had brought him. "You say Delano was keen on meeting you again? Why do you think he'd want that? I'm still confused about how a fast-food magnate ended up in the middle of a military intelligence case."

"Would you believe chicken feed?" answered Lee with a wry look. "From what Singer told me last night, Delano's incredibly overextended right now and completely dependent on Hollander's money to stay afloat. So he might be looking for investment or he might be looking for some kind of prize he can hand Hollander to get off his hook. He's pretty skeevy – like some kind of wannabe Colonel Sanders. I didn't like him and I don't think Amanda did either."

"Well, we all know colonels aren't your favorite people," Billy couldn't resist responding. He glanced up at Lee's grumpy expression, then looked down at the file again, lips twitching. "So, speaking of Amanda, it says here he approached her first?"

"Yeah, I was barely out of the room ten minutes and he was on her like white on rice," said Lee in as neutral a tone as he could manage.

"So he's got good taste then," said Billy, trying not to laugh at the pained look Lee gave him. "Think we can use that?"

"Absolutely not!" said Lee quickly. "There is no need to involve her in this, Billy! This isn't a job for a civilian!"

"You should have thought of that before you took her to the party," Billy teased him, then turned more sober when he realized from Lee's expression that he was already blaming himself for that. "But seriously, Scarecrow, why not use her if she could be useful? If Delano has a weakness for beautiful women, you could get a lot done if she's helping you distract him."

"Billy, the man is working with someone who _murdered_ a fully trained agent, for God's sake! And the last time you thought she'd be useful, she ended up in the middle of a palace coup! And then a hospital!" Lee had sat bolt upright and was now full on glaring at Billy across the desk, jabbing a finger at him for emphasis.

"Okay, point taken," Billy waved his hand. "You can take this one on your own. Meet him for that dinner he asked for and see what you can pry out of him and we'll sweep his house while you're out. And we'll get together as much intel as we can on the real Leland Cassidy so that you don't trip over anything unexpected."

"Will do." Lee stood up and stretched. "I think I might enjoy getting to play billionaire playboy for a few days."

" _Married_ billionaire playboy," Billy reminded him with another wheezing chuckle. "That could be a useful aspect actually, if he or Hollander think they can get you into a compromising position."

"More fool them," grinned Lee. "My wife is a very understanding woman when it comes to my playboy ways."

"Is she indeed?" Billy grinned.

"Actually yes," said Lee, recalling that conversation in the car earlier. "I think she understands me better than I do myself sometimes." He shook himself and gave Billy a quick look. "I'll see you in the morning – I should have everything I need to brief you by 10."

Billy hummed thoughtfully to himself as he watched Lee stride away across the bullpen. "Won't disagree with you there, Scarecrow. You have a perfect wife."


	4. Tying the Fly

"Mr. Delano? Leland Cassidy here. We met last night at your party." Lee had sequestered himself in a soundproof meeting room so that Delano's suspicions wouldn't be roused by the sound of office chatter in the background.

"Mr. Cassidy! So glad you've called! It was such a pleasure to meet you last night! I hope you're planning to take me up on my offer of dinner tonight for you and Sunny?"

"Oh well, I'm not sure Sunny would be all that interested if it's just going to be the two of us discussing that investment opportunity you mentioned," Lee prevaricated. "She has a pretty short attention span for things like that. Or for most things really."

"Oh no, I must insist," boomed Delano over the phone line. "I'm bringing along a date myself you know, and I promised her there'd be someone along for her to talk to when she complained about that exact same thing!"

Lee grimaced silently and tried again. "Well, perhaps we could do it another night then. I'm not sure what plans Sunny might already have made. She seems to have a million things lined up these days."

"Oh, that's too bad," answered Delano smoothly. "I need to get all my backers in place before Friday and I really think this one would be right up your alley. With my expansion across the Iron Curtain, I'm going to have some very high up members of the East German government at my party after we sign all the contracts on Saturday. I would have thought someone in your line of work would be very interested in making some contacts there. But if the two of you can't make it tonight…"

Lee was silent for a moment, calculating quickly what possible harm it could do to have Amanda out at dinner in a public place. "Well, you've got me there, Delano. How can I resist that kind of access?" He could only pray Amanda would actually be available for dinner. "Where shall we meet you?"

"Oh please, let me pick you up. You still have that house on Rock Creek Drive, don't you?"

_Damn it_. Delano – or even more likely, Hollander – had obviously been putting in the same kind of research time on Leland Cassidy as Lee had.

"Actually we're not staying there this time around. It's being treated for termites or dry rot or some damn thing," he answered quickly. "We've rented a little _pied-a-terre_ in Georgetown since we're only here a few weeks. It's over on N Street." He sent up a second quick prayer that the Agency safehouse would also be available.

"Well, that's just a few blocks from where I was planning to take you so now I must insist on acting as host and collecting you en route," purred Delano. "No point in both of us paying our chauffeurs overtime, after all!"

"Well, that would be very kind, thank you," replied Lee. "What time should we expect to see you?"

"How about 7 o'clock?" answered Delano. "Washington does do everything so early compared to everywhere else, doesn't it? That's what happens when your movers and shakers are all expected in their boring little government offices by 9 a.m."

Lee gave off what he hoped was a sympathetic laugh. "Yes indeed, it lives up to its reputation for a sleepy swamp town most of the time. Dull as ditchwater – which is why I try to never be here."

"Well, then I'm certainly glad we had the opportunity to meet then," said Delano smoothly. "We'll see you at 7."

Lee dropped the phone back in its cradle and gathered his thoughts before getting up and heading to Billy's office. Billy looked up and seeing the look on his face, gestured to the chair opposite his desk. "What have you got, Scarecrow?" he asked as Lee dropped into it with a sigh.

"Well, the good news is that he seems to be buying the Cassidy cover hook, line and sinker. Dinner is set for tonight and he's dangling the East Germans in front of me the way an ice cream truck hangs out outside the Weight Watchers office. There's some big party on Saturday night apparently – and I'd bet my Porsche that's the cover they're going to use for any information exchange."

"But?" Billy prompted. "What's the bad news?"

"Two things: first, with that many Washington power brokers in attendance, we won't be able to track them all. And second, he's insisting I bring Amanda tonight so I had to pretend we were living at the house on N Street because he wanted to send his car to pick us up as a gesture of hospitality. He knew about Cassidy's real house so I had to come up with an excuse about why we weren't staying there."

Billy leaned back to pull a drawer open in the filing cabinet behind him. He flipped through some files until he found what he was looking for and grunted approvingly. "The N Street house is available, so that isn't a problem."

Lee heaved a sigh of relief. "Good."

"But will Amanda be able to get away from her family to live there with you until Saturday?" Billy asked.

Lee sat bolt upright, jaw dropping in horror. "Will she what? Oh no, Billy – she's not part of this scenario, no way. I already told you last night, I don't want her mixed up with these guys. She can come to dinner with me and Delano tonight in a nice public place and then that's it. She's done, out of there, finito."

"Lee, be sensible," said Billy reasonably. "You just said Delano must be putting as much research into you as you are into him. If he and Hollander have set up spies on you, they'll notice if Amanda isn't living in the house! Especially since Delano seems to have taken such a shine to her!"

"Oh my God," Lee ran his hand along the back of his scalp. "How the _hell_ does she do it? How does she do nothing and _still_ end up in the middle of these things?"

Billy tried – and failed – not to laugh at his woebegone expression. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Lee. If we know nothing else about Amanda King, it's that she can think on her feet no matter what the situation."

"But she's not an agent, Billy! She shouldn't be having to think on her feet – she should be sitting at home quietly with her feet up - reading romance novels and helping with her kids' homework like a nice suburban mom!"

Billy couldn't help the bark of laughter at Lee's description. "I'll grant you that last part about the homework, but I simply cannot picture Amanda King ever sitting quietly!"

Lee groaned in agreement. "That makes it worse! Just think what kind of trouble she'll get into if we actually start including her in things!"

"But isn't it better if we include her and give her a story to work with instead of her being a loose cannon?" Billy asked, trying to sound reasonable. "I still wake up sweating when I think about Mrs. Ricky Joe Jackson breaking down that motel room door!"

"Me too," admitted Lee.

"But if she did that well off the cuff, imagine what she could do with a real scenario behind her."

"You're not making me any happier about this, Billy, no matter how hard you try," growled Lee.

"Well, look at it this way…" Billy began to chuckle at the thought that had just occurred to him. "If Amanda is locked up in the N Street house playing Mrs. Cassidy, at least you know she really is sitting quietly somewhere instead of out getting into trouble."

Lee actually perked up at that thought. "Now that's a silver lining I can get behind," he agreed. His face fell again. "If I can even get her to go along with it."

Billy didn't seriously think Amanda would say no but he pretended to give that some serious thought. "Well, you won't know until you ask her," he pointed out. "You go do that and I'll get our boys working on pulling together everything she'll need to be Delano's perfect woman."

Lee lifted his eyes to glare at Billy. "Why?"

"Why not?" Billy shrugged. "If she's what got Delano's attention in the first place, why not use it?"

"Because it could be dangerous? Because she's not a trained agent? Because she never asked to be _bait_?"

"I don't think you can go as far as describing her as bait, it's more like using a spotlight to attract the fish, but either way – you'll be there the whole time holding the rod and able to pull her out of the situation anytime."

Lee glared at him for a few seconds before finally grunting "This whole thing stinks worse than that fishing analogy."

"I know," said Billy sympathetically. "But we don't have the time to play nice here, Scarecrow. If she can help, we have to ask her to."

"Fine," Lee scowled. "But I don't have to like it."

He stood up and left Billy's office like a man carrying the weight of the world. Billy couldn't help grinning after him. "My, oh my, Scarecrow, you sound like a jealous person," he chuckled to himself.


	5. Like Normal People

"Now you don't have to do it if you don't want to. Billy was very clear on that!" Lee wasn't sure anymore if he was trying to talk Amanda into it or out of it as he watched her eyes widen.

"You need me to what?" she squeaked, clearly not believing anything he'd just said.

"I need you to move into a safehouse with me until Saturday and pretend to actually be Mrs. Leland Cassidy," he repeated patiently. "Now, it's easier than it sounds – the Agency would provide all the clothes and that kind of stuff and give you a script to follow and really, it should just be for dinner tonight that you even have to pretend. I'll make an excuse for why you're not at the party on Saturday. But just to be sure, we just need to make it look like we're really a married couple living together - you know, just in case anyone comes sniffing around."

"Really? That's all? Just one dinner?"

"Just one dinner," Lee confirmed, barely keeping himself from crossing his fingers in case he was lying. "Other than that, you just need to be seen coming and going from the house like a normal person."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Like a normal person he says," she scoffed. "What do normal people do when they're trophy wives?"

"Wow, upselling yourself already?" he couldn't resist teasing her. "You might be my first wife, you know."

"Oh no, no one with a name like Sunny is anything but a trophy wife," she answered immediately, shaking her head solemnly. "I'm certain your first wife would have had a very sensible first name."

"Like 'Amanda' you mean?" He grinned as she stuck her tongue out at him and then rushed on. "Fine, you can be my trophy wife. And trophy wives spend their days keeping out of trouble by shopping and lying by the pool reading romance novels."

"That last one does sound attractive," admitted Amanda. "Except that it's November."

"Well, it's always summer at the spa at the Four Seasons Hotel," he countered and watched her eyes light up with a smile. "So you'll do it?"

"Of course I'll do it," she answered then looked at him quizzically. "Did you really think I wouldn't? I like helping you, you know that, and you said you really need me."

"I do need you, yeah, but it means not going anywhere near your family for the next four days," he reminded her. "We can't risk that you'll be seen anywhere you normally hang out."

Amanda's face fell slightly at the reminder, before she visibly pulled herself together. "Well, it's only four days, right? And I can still phone home, can't I?" Lee nodded. "And it's not like I'm far away if anything actually happens that Mother can't cope with. I mean, you'd let me go home if they ended up in hospital or something, right? It's not like one of those witness protection things is it? Or whatever you spy people call it."

Lee shook his head. "Zero contact and nope, it isn't. Besides, I'm sure your boys can keep out of trouble and hospital for four days."

Amanda smiled. "What were you like when you were ten years old, Lee?"

"Point taken," he smiled back. "My first priority will be to set up a special Jamie and Phillip hotline at the safehouse."

"Safehouse sound so nasty," she commented, nose wrinkling. "Like we're going to be staying in some dark flophouse in some seedy corner of town. Am I getting danger pay?" she teased.

"Well, you will get a ton of overtime for having to be away from home," he countered, "And as for the seedy safehouse, well, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised," Lee laughed. "So how fast can you be ready to marry me?"

"How fast do you need me to?" she countered. Lee glanced at his watch pointedly and she rolled her eyes good-humoredly. "Fine. Let me just go call my mother. I'll tell her I'm being sent at the last minute to replace a sick set assistant or something and get her to pack an overnight bag for me."

* * *

 

" _This_ is our house?" Amanda had just climbed out of the Porsche and was staring up at the Georgetown mansion in awe.

"Just you and me, Babe," confirmed Lee. "Rattling around in our gilded cage for the next few days."

"Babe? Are we Sonny and Cher now? But you were right – this is a very pleasant surprise." She smiled at him as he took her hand and led her up the front steps and ushered her in the front door with a sweeping gesture. She stepped inside and let her eyes travel up to the crystal chandelier hanging in the foyer. "Oh Lee, this is beautiful!"

"Trophy wives always get the best," he agreed. "I hear my first wife is stuck out in Arlington somewhere with our bratty kids."

"Bratty?" Amanda turned on him with a raised brow.

"If they're mine, they're brats."

Amanda let out a low chuckle. "Well, maybe they're not yours – maybe that's why you divorced her."

"Maybe," he agreed, watching her move from room to room, her delight growing as she saw each new elegantly appointed room. "Like it, Sunny-Honey?"

Amanda turned to him, beaming. "Are you kidding? I'll stay married to you forever if we get to live here!"

Lee was struck dumb for a moment at that mental image before shaking himself and walking forward to take her arm and steer her toward the stairs. "Let's go check out what surprises are in store for you up in the bedroom."

Amanda couldn't contain her snort of laughter. "Usually I'm the one who accidentally says stuff like that," she explained when he turned to look at her in confusion.

Lee's face split in a dimpled grin. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Mrs. Stetson."

"Mrs. Cassidy," she corrected him as she began to walk up the stairs ahead of him.

"Oh. Right." Lee frowned slightly at how easily he'd made that slip, but tried to cover it up as he jogged to catch up, and then led her into a huge bedroom and across to the walk-in closet. "Okay, so the guys put everything we know about Delano through the computer and this closet should be stuffed with things that will make you attractive to him. More attractive to him," he amended when she turned to look at him. He turned to stare at the row of dresses, reaching out blindly to grab one, then realizing it was a skimpy backless dress, he slammed it back on the rail and grabbed something else. "How about this one for tonight?" he asked, trying to sound casual as he held out a frilly white gown.

"Really?" asked Amanda, trying to quell the laughter in her voice. "You don't think it looks a bit like a wedding dress?"

"Does it?" Lee asked turning it in his hand to look at it properly. "Um, I guess it does. I just thought that since it was full length, it would be good since you've still got the cast on."

"Riiiight," Amanda drawled. "That's what you were thinking." She watched the flush rise on Lee's face and put a hand out to rest on his where he has still holding up the dress. "Lee, it's one dinner, he's not Warren Davenport and you're going to be there the whole time. Stop worrying."

"I hate this," he muttered. He glanced over at Amanda when she gave a quiet annoyed _hmph_ sound. "I mean, I don't hate the scenario – I hate that we're having to ask you to do this. Upending your peaceful life, exposing you to guys like Delano… you shouldn't be here."

"But I am," she said calmly, taking the dress out of his hand and hanging it on a hook on the door. "And you need me to get this right, so how about you come sit down and tell me all about everything I have to know about Leland Cassidy and his imaginary wife before dinner tonight? You know - so we tell the same story this time?" She watched him steadily until the frown left his face, replaced by a grimace of acknowledgement. She walked out of the closet and went to sit at the dressing table, pawing through the jewelry set out there, holding it up gleefully in front of herself like a little girl playing dress-up. Lee sat on the edge of the bed and watched for a few moments, enjoying her pleasure before finally starting to recite the details of the game they'd be playing that night.

"Okay," he began. "We're rarely seen in public, despite having an estate in Berkshire, a house in Portofino and a ski chalet in Gstaad…"


	6. Introducing Mrs. Cassidy

Lee wondered if he was going to make it through dinner without planting a fist in Delano's face at some point. It wasn't enough that Delano was making a play for his wife – even if she was only a pretend wife – but he wasn't even trying to hide it. After making such a song and dance about how he'd wanted Amanda to be there as company for his date, he hadn't even brought one with him, making some lame-ass excuse about how she'd cancelled at the last minute in order to fly to Milan for a fashion shoot.

_If she even really existed,_ Lee snarled inwardly.

"Oh I love Milan!" Amanda had exclaimed, perfectly in character. "The shopping is so wonderful there!"

"Well it would certainly be a joy to take you there and treat you to that," said Delano. "You have the perfect figure to set off all those perfect designs."

"Yes she does," interrupted Lee. "But surely your _girlfriend_ does as well? Since she's modelling them and all?"

"Oh yes, of course she does," replied Delano, dragging his eyes off Amanda to look at Lee. "But your lovely wife has an innocent charm which makes her so much more attractive in anything she wears."

"Yes, my _wife_ does have a unique charm, I'll grant you that." He didn't miss the warning look Amanda gave him from under her lashes and realized he needed to back down and let Delano run with whatever he was up to.

And indeed, Delano was turning to speak to him now, with a slightly unctuous air. "I'm so sorry that I was flirting with Sunny quite so much last night, Leland. Although to be fair, she wasn't wearing that lovely ring that she has on tonight, so how was I to know?"

"Oh I only just got it back today," explained Amanda quickly. "I was having it resized. And you know, I felt so _naked_ without it!" She met Lee's eyes, hers twinkling and he realized she was enjoying herself.

"Resized?" repeated Delano. "I had to do that once in my last marriage. You know it is - after a few years, it just seemed too tight and uncomfortable."

Yes, Lee had just about had it with Delano's subtle jabs. "Not that kind of resized," he replied smoothly, ignoring Amanda's startled look. "I was having the diamond replaced with a bigger one. I wanted her to have one that shines as brightly as she does." Thank goodness the Agency had provided a gaudy enough ring for that to sound true.

Delano wasn't done yet though. "Oh I remember those days," he answered. He met Amanda's questioning look with a smirk. "Apology diamonds." He glanced down, then back up at her face. "I would often buy things like that lovely necklace you have on, for instance." He let his eyes drop again and rest lingeringly on her décolletage as if he was really studying her jewellery.

Lee knew Amanda definitely _hadn't_ missed that one when that glint came into her eye. This guy was more like Davenport than they'd thought. "This little thing?" she said, sweetly, toying with her diamond heart. "Well, my darling Lee never does anything he has to apologize for, but this wasn't actually a gift from him."

"No?" Delano seemed intrigued. "Leland, your wife must have quite generous friends to have given her such a beautiful piece."

"She does," Lee answered flatly, then went on perfectly truthfully, "That one was a little thank-you gift from the Crown Prince of Zakir." He watched with satisfaction as Delano's eyes bugged out a tiny bit and Amanda nodded her confirmation.

"Oh yes, Rheza and Penelope are such good friends!" she threw herself into the conversation with enthusiasm now. "We're planning on spending some of our holidays hosting them in a little ski vacation in our chalet in Gstaad, aren't we Darling?"

"We are indeed, Honey," he answered, lifting her hand to kiss her fingers. "You and Penelope can light up the slopes while Rheza and I work on finalizing that deal for the drilling rights." He turned to Delano and said genially. "I'm sure I can trust you to keep that under your hat for now. After all those complications with Bo Johnson, the royal family is very leery about who they're letting into Zakir now. Gstaad is such a perfect place for us to be able to meet up and not be noticed."

"Did I hear someone mention Gstaad?" said a new voice. "That's a favorite spot of mine." Lee turned and looked up at Curt Hollander who had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and was now standing beside their table.

"Why yes," replied Delano. "Mrs. Cassidy was just telling us about her vacation plans there." He turned to Lee. "May I introduce Curt Hollander? He's one of the movers and shakers behind my restaurant expansion into East Germany. Curt, this is Leland Cassidy and his wife, Sunny."

Lee stood and shook the hand of the cold-eyed man surveying him. "Well, I'm sure it's a pleasure to meet you. I have to admit, I was hoping to get a little piece of that action myself – some of my companies would be very interested in accessing … opportunities… there."

Out in the van, Francine straightened up, tapping Efraim's knee to make sure he was getting the conversation on tape. All their attempts to get the microphone not to pick up the rustling from Amanda's dress had meant they'd finally had to resort to a much smaller bug hidden in Lee's tie pin. It wasn't as good for picking up sound, especially in a busy restaurant, but it looked like luck was going their way. Efraim nodded and gave her the thumbs up and inside the restaurant, from where he was playing bartender, Agent Sammy Dane surreptitiously did the same to Lee.

"Curt, please join us," Delano waved his hand to the fourth spot at the table. "We just happen to have room, thanks to Mikki's sudden change in schedule."

" _Just happen to have room?"_ thought Lee. _"I don't think so, Buddy."_ A quick glance at Amanda's expressionless face said she was thinking the same thing. Their eyes met, he lifted a brow fractionally and watched her head nod slightly in acknowledgement. _Show time_.

"I'd be delighted," Hollander was saying now, his lugubrious tone at odds with the sentiment as he pulled back the fourth chair and took a seat. "The pleasure is all mine at meeting you, Mr. Cassidy. You're a rare bird in these parts." He shifted slightly so that he was facing Lee more fully and raked him up and down with an appraising gaze.

"Please call me Lee, Mr. Cassidy was my father, as the old joke goes," replied Lee jovially.

"Indeed he was," answered Hollander. "A man ahead of his time in creating technological advances as I recall. Have you taken after him in that department?"

"Well, I like to keep that sort of thing under my hat," said Lee readily. "But I must say inheriting what I did has certainly made it easier for me to pursue my… passions." He paused and looked over at Amanda, dropping a theatrical wink, and watching her eyes light up with humor as she pursed her lips into an equally over-the-top blown kiss.

"Oh Darling, you say the sweetest things," she cooed.

"So is skiing one of your passions, Mrs. Cassidy?" asked Hollander abruptly turning to Amanda. She looked confused for a moment until he went on, "You were speaking of going on holiday in Gstaad when I arrived?"

"Oh yes!" she exclaimed right away. "It's so quaint and scenic there and no one bothers you! And the skiing, of course! Delightful!" She dredged up something from her mother's tabloid magazines and wittered on. "I used to love Klosters, but of course, since Diana started going there, the paparazzi are positively dreadful! Everyone who's anyone avoids it like the plague now."

Lee's jaw dropped open slightly – Amanda couldn't be doing better if she'd been reading off cue cards.

"But the skiing was so disappointing last year, wasn't it?" commented Hollander. "We can only hope for better this winter."

"Oh my, yes," agreed Amanda, not seeing the yawning conversational trap that Lee did. "I don't think I made it onto the slopes once last year."

"Oh Honey," Lee drawled in interruption, thanking God for that holiday with that stewardess whose name he couldn't remember. "The skiing there was marvelous last year – how could you forget?"

Amanda looked at him, her mouth a perfect 'O' of confusion until he nodded encouragingly. He couldn't help the twinge of panic as her face lit up with an expression of pure mischief. "Oh that's right!" she answered glibly. "I'd almost forgotten because I was spending all that time inside with that Olympic hockey player I picked up with the broken knee. What was his name, Darling? Oh that's right, Vlad and… oh my gosh, what was the name of that model you had at the same time? Genevieve? She was just lovely – and so limber, as I recall. She must have had gymnastic training the way she could keep bend in all those unexpected directions. "

Unlike Lee, Francine was free to give way to hoots of laughter as Amanda began to ramble, but Lee had the benefit of a front row seat as she really went to work on Delano. Leaning forward and resting an elbow on the table so that Delano really had nowhere to look but down her dress, she began toying with the diamond heart and added in a sultry tone, "You see, James, my Lee never has to apologize for anything. We have a very understanding… and open… marriage."

There was a stunned silence at the table as all three men stared at Amanda in disbelief, but it was Lee who managed to get his voice back first, despite his overwhelming desire to laugh.

"Yes, Gstaad certainly has happy memories for us, doesn't it, Honey?"

"The best," she answered, never letting her eyes leave Delano's and licking her lips slightly. "I can hardly wait for this year."

"I'm suddenly very thirsty," said Lee quickly. "Curt, would you care to join me at the bar for a quick drink while we wait for the next course?" He didn't really want to leave Amanda alone at the table with Delano and his wandering hands, but he also didn't really want whatever crazy thing she said next to be recorded for posterity on the Agency surveillance tapes.

Hollander grunted and stood up immediately. "What an excellent idea, Mr. Cassidy – Lee, I mean. No need to bore these two with our business talk."

"No indeed," agreed Lee, watching in amusement as Amanda lifted a hand and waved him goodbye with a slight shooing motion without ever breaking her gaze from the other man. As they left, Amanda reached forward to rest her hand on top of Delano's and Lee heard her start to speak.

"James… do you believe in reincarnation? Because I really think we might have met in a previous life…"

Stifling a grin, he gestured for Hollander to precede him to the bar where they both ordered a scotch – Lee's with ice, Hollander's without.

"I don't know why you Americans insist on ruining it that way," said Hollander gruffly.

"Well, I learned to drink it like this at my daddy's knee and never knew any better," explained Lee cheerfully. "But let's not waste time, Mr. Hollander – do you think you could get my company the same kind of 'access' over the Wall as you've gotten for our friend over there?"

They both glanced over at the table, Lee's hand gripping his scotch a little more tightly as he watched Delano's finger trail along Amanda's jaw before forcing himself to turn back and look at Hollander again.

"Well, you know how it is, Leland," said Hollander. "I'm sure I could find friends interested in getting a face-to-face conversation with the mysterious President of Dynamica Industries." There was something belligerent in his look that Lee knew meant he still didn't quite believe Lee was who he said he was and that he needed to double down.

"Well, I can get my people down here from New York at a moment's notice if you think we have a chance of setting anything up," he said with the blustering confidence he knew he needed here.

"Could you?" asked Hollander, a note of doubt creeping into his voice at how brazenly he was willing to offer up proof. "You must want this very badly."

Lee leaned in and lowered his voice to a confidential tone. "To be honest, my Board of Directors is very keen that we find some new sources of income and the future obviously lies on the other side of the Iron Curtain. There's money to be made by this latest Russian incursion into Afghanistan – and my board isn't fussy about which side we make that money from, if you catch my drift."

"So you will supply whichever side pays you the most?"

"And can keep the quietest about it," answered Lee. "Everyone wants defense companies to do well for their stock investments but no one ever wants to know how dirty their hands are, do they?"

"No, they don't," agreed Hollander studying him. "You know, the Cassidy name has always had a reputation for integrity – I'm surprised to hear you talk like this."

"Well, my father lived in easier times when you could afford that kind of luxury, but I…, well I have expensive tastes…" he glanced over at Amanda meaningfully, wishing he hadn't when he watched Delano's hand sliding along her thigh, and he knew his face must have reflected that when he turned to find Hollander looking at him with a raised brow. He lifted his hand to rub roughly under his nose and gave a theatrical sniff. "Speaking of which, if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to hit the powder room, if you catch my drift." He patted his chest pocket with a chuckle. "Perhaps when I come back and I'm a little more… refreshed… perhaps we could discuss this further?"

"Yes," said Hollander, not even hiding his disgust at Lee's hints about a cocaine habit. "I think we could both gain something from further discussion."

Lee gave him the thumbs up and turned to walk off to the back of the restaurant.

"Mens' room. Now, fast," he muttered down at his tie as he walked.

It was only a minute, maybe less before Francine's head poked into the mens' room, where Lee was leaning on the counter, waiting for her, scowl on his face.

"My God, Scarecrow," she grinned. "I wish we could have you both miked up. Between your coke habit and Amanda's nymphomania, this is like the best telenovela I've ever watched."

Lee gave a snorting laugh. "I never pegged you for the soap opera type, Francine."

"Shhh, our little secret," she laughed, then pointed at his tie. "Just you, me, Efraim and anyone who listens to these tapes."

"Yeah, well, this isn't soap opera, this is the real thing," he scowled. "Can you get me some names from the Dynamica board that I can drop into conversation? Get Sammy to drop me a note during dinner or something, maybe?"

"Already on it," said Francine. "Efraim started pulling up stuff the minute you started in with Hollander. And there's at least one that's going to make you _very_ happy…"

Just at that moment, the door handle rattled and Lee grabbed Francine to pull her in for a long kiss. They separated after a few seconds to find Hollander standing in the doorway staring at them slack-jawed.

"Jeez," said Lee, rubbing his nose forcefully again and letting his eyes dart everywhere like a man caught mid-crime, while keeping Francine pulled close. "Can't a guy get any privacy around here? Come on, Honey – let's go somewhere quieter and continue this." They pushed their way past a stunned Hollander and headed out the back door to the parking lot.

The minute they were out the door, Lee released her and lost all the crazy look. "Okay, start from the top - what have you got? And hurry up – I gotta get back there before that guy gets any more handsy with Amanda."

"Like I said – good news," answered Francine and began to fill him in.


	7. Now Listen Here, Son

Lee stretched out along the sofa of the small den, and watched Amanda putter around the kitchen through the open doorway. To his relief, the crazy Sunny personality had vanished the moment they'd stepped out of Delano's limo and she was back to being the Amanda he preferred. She'd gone to change out of the gown the instant they'd walked in the door, and to scrub off the makeup and "the icky feeling" as she'd put it.

"Don't say it," she'd admonished him with a soft smile when he'd opened his mouth. "You don't get to apologize for him being a handsy jerk. I knew what I was doing when I started distracting him for you. And you know he couldn't do much, not in a crowded restaurant with both you and Sammy watching him. He was just a bit creepy – that's all. And I don't have to see him again, right?"

"Not if I can help it," Lee had said quickly.

"Good," she'd ducked her head with relief in a way that suggested she might have been more uncomfortable than she was letting on.

The minute she'd disappeared upstairs, he'd been on the phone to Billy, not just to fill him in on the evening, but also to make sure someone would be keeping an eye on Amanda for the next few days of her 'house arrest'. He wouldn't put it past Delano to come creeping around if he thought her very 'open and understanding' husband wasn't around. Billy had been quick to agree – once he'd stopped laughing at Lee's description of their evening.

Watching her now, in her comfort zone, with the fake butler and maid gone and just the two of them here, he could almost laugh as well at her antics earlier. Delano would never hit on the woman in front of him in a million years.

"I can't believe we have an entire mansion to relax in and you've still ended up in the kitchen, Cinderella," he called out, teasing her.

"The kitchen is the heart of the home," she called back, her smile audible in her husky tone. "All the best parties happen in the kitchen, don't you know that?" She leaned back and looked at him from where she was stirring something on the stove. "You sure I can't make you some hot chocolate? The pantry's even stocked with those little marshmallows."

"No thanks. And I don't think marshmallows would go very well in this scotch either."

"You really shouldn't be having another one of those," Amanda gave him a reprimanding look. "Don't you think you've had enough to drink already tonight?"

Lee gave her a lazy grin. "Actually, this is only my second."

Amanda walked to the doorway and leaned on it, staring at him in confusion. "You've been drinking all night."

"I've had a glass in my hand all night," he corrected her, lifting the tumbler he was holding. "And thanks to Sammy, most of them were just ginger ale. The one I drank with Hollander at the bar was the only other real alcohol I've had."

"Really? Wow, you are really good at pretending to be just a little bit drunk," she said. "Do they teach you that in spy school?"

"Actually? Yes they do," he answered. "But tonight was trickier because I had to pretend to be just a little bit high as well."

"Yeah – tell me again why you had to do that?"

"Hollander was getting suspicious about me because Leland Cassidy's father had such a squeaky clean reputation – I guess it seemed unlikely to him that the son of such a well-known patriot would be interested in business with such a long time enemy. So I improvised." He gave a small shrug. "It's not such a stretch - kids who's been brought up in the lap of luxury are often the ones who end up looking for the worst possible ways to break the boredom and have way too much money to get into trouble with. I can list you off examples from royalty to Wall Street."

"Wow. Almost makes me glad my boys are growing up on just a single mom's salary and some child support," said Amanda lightly.

"From what I've seen, your boys have just about the most ideal life I can imagine," he answered, dropping his head back on the arm of the sofa, but not before Amanda saw the flash of sadness cross his face.

"Yeah," she said softly. "It'll be nice to get home again when this is all over."

"I'm sorry," he said, lifting his head. "I know I keep saying that," he went on as Amanda rolled her eyes, "but I really didn't mean for a simple invitation to a stupid reception to turn into this."

"Why Butch, it's like you don't even know me," Amanda grinned. "You should know by now that if there's trouble, it'll find me."

"I'm definitely going to ship you off to Bolivia for your own good if this keeps up," he answered, trying to match her smile.

"Oh my gosh!" Amanda suddenly exclaimed in horror and turned to run back into the kitchen.

"I was kidding!" he called after her.

"It's not that!" her muffled voice came from the other room. "I forgot I had the milk still on the heat and it's boiled over! Oh, darn it!"

The sounds of her annoyed distress and her efforts to clean up were suddenly drowned out by the ringing of the telephone on the table beside him. Lee sat up and glanced at his watch, wondering what intel the Agency could have come up with at this time of night that they'd need to know.

"Cassidy" he answered smoothly, just in case it wasn't someone from the Agency.

A familiar voice boomed down the line at him. "Cassidy my ass, Lee Stetson. Now just what the hell are you up to now?"

"Harry Thornton as I live and breathe!" said Lee with real delight. "Speak of the devil! How are you?"

"Devil indeed, you young pup! What's all this I hear about you taking Leland Cassidy's name in vain?"

"Well it was a bit of an accident, Harry. You know what it's like in the field sometimes," protested Lee. "And if I'd known you were on his Board of Directors and knew him, I'd have called you before now!"

"I don't just know him, Lee – he's my damn godson! I've known him his whole life!" said Harry. "Now, how about you explain to me why my briefing alerts are lighting up with people who are looking for information on him! He likes his privacy and I don't want anything messing with that. I've already been up one side of Billy Melrose and down the other and now I want your version."

"Well, like I said – it was an accident…" Lee quickly sketched out everything that had happened in the last 48 hours.

"You gave him a cocaine habit?" asked Harry, starting to laugh. "Leland Cassidy is the most clean-living, upright citizen I've ever known. He grows his own vegetables and raises chickens in his backyard!"

"Seriously?" asked Lee. "Isn't he a billionaire?"

"Seriously," said Harry. "And yes he is, but he actually lives a pretty quiet normal life out west. He's got a good head on his shoulders, that boy. Brilliant as all get out and one of the most imaginative inventors of our time, but remarkably level-headed all the same."

"Are you going to tell him about all this?" asked Lee, uncertainly.

"Oh hell yes," said Harry. "He'll bust a gut laughing."

"Really? He won't be angry?"

"No – like I said, he's got a good head on his shoulders and he's a good patriot to boot. But unlike you, he's got a preference for brunettes – so what's this Amanda girl you mentioned like? Pretty enough to be the real Mrs. Cassidy, I hope?"

Lee turned his head to look at Amanda, who was now sitting at the kitchen table, fluffy bathrobe pulled on over a flannel nightgown, feet tucked into bunny slippers and her hair piled on top of her head on a messy bun while she read the paper and sipped her hot chocolate. "She's beautiful," he answered.

"You trust her?"

Lee knew what Harry was asking – theirs was a business where everything depended on your trust in other people. "With my life, Harry. In fact I already have, more than once."

"Really? I haven't heard you say that in a long time, Son."

"I would follow Amanda King blind through a blizzard at midnight," Lee answered feelingly.

"Well, when this is all over, I want to hear all about her," said Harry, "but in the meantime, what can I do to help you fake your way through the next few days?"

Lee leaned over to grab a pen and paper. "Tell me everything you can think of," he replied. "You never know what's going to come in useful with these guys. But start with some stuff on his board of directors because I may be about to make them sound a bit sketchy too and I'll need to know who's coming after my hide when this is all over."

Harry's deep chuckle reverberated in his ear. "Don't worry, I'll leash 'em. Y'know Lee, my boy, it's been far too long since I've had to pull your ass out of the fire. I may have to get back in the game if you're going to make it this much fun."

"Oh no you don't, Old Man – you've had your turn. You just stay nice and retired and leave the fun to us spring chickens," Lee laughed at his old mentor.

"Who are you calling old, Scarecrow?" Harry growled. "You sound pretty cocky for a man who needs my help."

"I really do, Harry," said Lee, turning serious. "So start talking."

By the time Amanda wandered out of the kitchen twenty minutes later, Lee had filled four pages in his casebook with details he'd be able to drop into conversation with Hollander to back up his cover.

"Well, time for bed," she said, stretching her arms over her head and yawning. "Got that busy day doing nothing tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Lee absently, adding a few comments in the margins of his notes.

"You coming?" she asked, pausing at the bottom of the back stairs that led from the kitchen.

"Yeah, just gimme a minute, I… What?" Lee looked up in confusion, certain he must have misheard the question.

"Come on, Lee, you need to sleep too," Amanda answered reasonably. "No matter what you think, you're not actually some superhero who can't go without sleep after all. You should come to bed."

"I, uh… I'll come up in a minute," he stammered. "I just want to finish with this."

"Okay." Amanda drifted up the steps, yawning noisily again, then called down. "Lee? I'm all turned around up here. Which one is my room again?"

"Third door on the left. Mine's the master bedroom at the top of the stairs," he answered, flushing with embarrassment that he'd misunderstood her earlier. "Senior agent gets the biggest bed."

There was another pause and then he heard a shriek of laughter. Unable to resist, he got up and walked to the bottom of the stars and looked up.

"Everything okay up there, Kid?" he called out.

Amanda reappeared at the top of the stairs, grinning. "I just realized what that sounded like," she answered. "Guess we're back to me being the one who says that kind of stuff."

"Well, compared to some of the stuff you came out with at dinner, that was pretty tame," he laughed up at her.

"Yeah, who knew reading Mother's Judith Krantz novels would be useful in the spy business?" she beamed at him.

"You mean that wasn't from personal experience?" he couldn't resist asking. "How disappointing. Although I don't think I could ever be that understanding of a husband."

"Well, like the song says, 'I'm always true to you, Darling, in my fashion'!" She was trying to sound kittenish but was laughing too hard for it to work. "Are you going to bed soon though?" she asked. "I don't want to get up in the morning and find you flat out on the kitchen floor sleeping because you were working too hard."

"Yes, Mom, I'll go to bed soon," he mocked her.

"Good. See you in the morning. I'll make you breakfast before you go to work – you'll love my waffles." She turned to walk away down the upper hallway

"I don't really eat breakfast," he called after her. "Just toast and coffee is fine."

"You'll eat a decent breakfast and you'll like it," her response came floating down the stairs. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Yes, Colonel," he muttered under his breath, dropping his voice even though there was no possibility she could hear him anymore.

"I heard that!" Amanda called out, making him jump. She hadn't, of course, but she knew he had to have said something – it didn't matter what age boys were, not one of them was going to resist getting the last word.

Downstairs, Lee began to move around turning off the lights and then made his way upstairs in her wake, trying to ignore that tiny voice in his head.

_I could get used to this_.


	8. Out of the Blue

"Amanda? You in here?" Francine's head poked around the bedroom door, followed by the rest of her when she saw Amanda was indeed curled up in a chair reading. "Nice place you got here, Lady Di," she commented, stopping to look around the gilded room.

"Real step up from Bo's taxidermy shop, isn't it?" laughed Amanda, pulling herself to her feet. "Oh my gosh, I'm so glad to see you! Lee says I'm not allowed to leave the house and I'm going absolutely stir-crazy!"

"Typical controlling husband," tsk-ed Francine. "That's why I've never had one. However, I happen to know that what Lee said was that you shouldn't leave the house _alone_ – and I'm here to fix that!"

"You are?" Amanda asked hopefully. For the first time she took in that Francine was really dressed up, even more than usual: gloves, hat, half-veil – the whole works. "We're going out?"

"Not dressed like that you're not," commented Francine disdainfully, her eyes raking over Amanda's jeans and baseball shirt. "I mean it's cute on you but Sunny's the one going out – not Amanda King. So let's see what we can find for her." She crossed to the closet and stepped in, the moan of envy clearly audible when she caught sight of the dress rail. "Oh my God, there's a Thierry Mugler in here."

Francine stepped back out holding a clingy vibrant floral dress and moved to the mirror, holding it up and smoothing against her own body with a dreamy expression. "I'd kill for one of these." She snuck a quick look at the label and shook her head sadly. "Not even worth sneaking it out of here in this size. Why do you have to be so damn tall and willowy?" she sighed while Amanda giggled.

With one last longing look in the mirror, Francine beckoned Amanda toward her. "Okay, come on, Mrs. Cassidy. Let's find you an outfit for ladies who lunch and go hit the town. We need to make sure you're seen because Hollander definitely has you being watched."

Amanda shivered and glanced at the window. "Really?"

"Oh, not like Peeping Tom watching," Francine reassured her. "Just someone in a car at the end of the street. Don't worry - the watchers are being watched too. But if Lee's going to make this cover work, you need to live up to that party girl reputation you described last night."

"Oh my gosh," Amanda blushed. "You heard that?"

"I heard it, Efraim heard it, Billy's heard it… Leatherneck will probably have it on audio for the Christmas party next month – you were hilarious." Francine's voice was muffled now since she was already back in the closet, pulling out outfits. "So our job today is to be seen at all the best stores – where unfortunately you won't find anything you like because our budget doesn't extend to it – and then we will go have afternoon tea at the Mandarin Oriental."

"And who are you going to be in this, whaddyacallit? Scenario?" Amanda asked, crossing to take a few hangers out of her hand.

"I will be your oldest and dearest friend from your sorority days," Francine answered promptly. "Muffy or Buffy or-"

"Fluffy?" Amanda interjected with a grin.

"Fifi," responded Francine immediately. "I will only go as far as Fifi."

"Okay, Fifi, I like this one," answered Amanda holding up a dress. "Let's get out of this gin joint and paint the town red."

* * *

 

"Hey Honey, I'm home!" Lee jokingly called out, looking around for somewhere to drop his keys, before shrugging and dropping them onto the kitchen counter. His eyes widened as Amanda limped into the room. "You look different," he said uncertainly. "I mean good different, not bad different, I mean not like you were bad before – just different," he finished lamely as she started to laugh.

"Calm down, Butch – it's just the temporary effects of a day spent at the mercy of makeover stylists, hairdressers, personal shoppers – you name it, I've been manhandled by them today." She moved heavily toward the fridge and he realized she had the air cast on again.

"Have you hurt that again?" he asked with concern.

"No, just tired it out with too much socialite activity," she answered. "I'll soak it tonight and probably be back to normal again by tomorrow. Or maybe we can put out a story about spending the night at a swinger party so I have an excuse to do nothing but rest it tomorrow." She picked up the keys he'd left on the table and tossed them up and down in her hand. "Heaven only knows what bowl these might end up in with Sunny in charge of your social life. You can work on that when you're out tonight ruining poor Mr. Cassidy's reputation." When he winced, she tossed them at him, then turned to the fridge. "Do you want some dinner before you go? I can make almost anything the way they filled this up."

Lee moved forward and steered her toward a chair at the table. "Sit," he ordered. "I'm not going out and you're not making dinner. Get off that foot and I'll throw something together." He turned and started rummaging through the available ingredients.

"Oh you don't need to do that, Lee. I don't mind."

"And neither do I." He straightened up and put a small pile of things on the counter. "Why are you still standing there, Kid? Sit. Now."

Amanda gave a small sigh as she sat and lifted her leg into an adjacent chair. "Who knew having fun was this exhausting? It's no wonder trophy wives are all so skinny," she added, "if they all run around like Francine and I did today."

"The two of you really made a show of yourselves, huh?" Lee laughed.

"Oh, if there was somewhere you have to be seen, we were there, believe me," said Amanda. "Francine made it look so easy but I'm completely worn out from all this leisure."

"Just takes practice," answered Lee confidently. "A couple more days of this and you'll be in there with the best of them."

"Well I could use that pedicure and foot massage all over again right about now. My ankle is killing me." She reached down to rub her leg ruefully. "I really needed to wear the cast for this much activity but Francine insisted it wasn't part of 'The Look'."

"Oh you civilian types are all the same," Lee teased. "Us real agents learn how to push through physical hardships like that."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "I'd love to see you after a day in high heels, Stetson, but I'm still not going anywhere tonight except to put this foot up. Am I?" she asked, suddenly doubtful. "Do we have to go out and be seen again? And don't you have a date tonight with that aerobics instructor?"

"Already cancelled," Lee answered, promptly. "And even Leland Cassidy stays in some nights, especially in a town too dull to have a proper nightclub scene. It's all good," he went on starting to chop up vegetables. "Cassidy already has a reputation for being the Invisible Man so no one's going to question that and from the sounds of it, you've name dropped Sunny enough places to soothe any suspicions Hollander has."

"Is he still suspicious about us?" asked Amanda quietly. "I mean, if he's a murderer, I don't like the idea that he thinks we're lying."

Lee waved off her anxiety. "No more so than anyone else sniffing around one of our covers. Don't worry about it."

"Okay," Amanda replied, trying to ignore that tiny tingle in the hairs on the back of her neck. She watched him expertly slicing and dicing for a few minutes. "So what's for dinner, Butch?" she asked finally.

"I thought I'd wow you with a Japanese dish I learned a few years back." Lee stopped dead and looked at her. "You don't have any allergies do you? Shellfish, squid? Anything like that?"

"Um, no," she answered. "You're not going to make me regret not lying about that though, are you?"

Lee gave her a pained look. "Don't you trust me, Sunny-honey?"

"Ask me again after dinner, Darling," she dimpled at him.

The radio, which had been playing softly in the background suddenly crackled loudly making them both jump and then, to Amanda's astonishment, a voice suddenly addressed them.

"Blue Leader here, Scarecrow. You're not about to poison a civilian with mishandled fugu, are you?"

"No, Sir!" exclaimed Lee, whirling around as if he could tell how the bodiless voice could see him.

"Lee?" Amanda stared at him, obviously looking for an explanation.

"Don't worry, Mrs. King," said the voice. "I'm not spying on you, not visually anyway – I just happened to catch the last few things you were discussing."

"Okaaay," said Amanda, looking around fearfully. "And who are you exactly?" She looked at Lee who was making frantic shushing motions and dragging his finger across his throat.

"I'm your boss, first and foremost," answered the voice. "Scarecrow can explain it all later. But first, I want the horse's mouth to explain to me how you dragged Leland Cassidy into whatever little scam you're running."

"It's all in my briefings," Lee started to say before he was cut off.

"I've read the briefings, and I've talked to Billy Melrose – now I want to hear it straight from you two."

"Well, Sir, it was all my fault," Amanda began to explain.

"No it wasn't," Lee interrupted quickly.

"Scarecrow, haven't you been taught it's rude to interrupt a lady?" asked Blue Leader ominously. "Carry on, Mrs. King. I think I'd like to hear your version first."

"Well, I mean, we didn't set out to drag poor Mr. Cassidy into this," Amanda forged on with an apologetic look at Lee. "I just happened to choose the name Cassidy for my cover and then when James Delano heard Mr. Stetson's first name, he just sort of went there on his own."

"I see." There was a long pause and then the voice asked, "And why did a civilian member of the Agency steno pool need a cover exactly?"

"I didn't," Amanda admitted, candidly. "I was just there to keep Mr. Stetson company and we'd been joking around beforehand about how housewives and spies weren't invited to that party so when Mr. Delano asked me my name, I just… panicked."

Lee had dropped his face in his hands, groaning quietly as Amanda's candor laid out the whole truth that he'd oh-so-carefully left out of his initial report from the party.

"And why Cassidy?" asked the voice. "No, let me guess," he went on, sarcasm evident in his tone. "You have secret fantasies about being Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?"

Amanda choked and looked anywhere but at Lee. "Oh no, Sir! I mean, that's where the name came from but more because…."

"Because the two of you keep ending up in trouble whenever you're in the same room?" Blue Leader asked acidly.

Lee and Amanda locked eyes across the room and grimaced simultaneously.

"Oh yes, I've read all your files, Scarecrow," said Blue Leader into the silence. "They make for… entertaining reading."

"I'm sure they do, Sir," answered Lee with a sigh, dropping his head onto his chest.

"Seems to me you're very lucky to have recruited someone so versatile and enterprising into the Agency, Scarecrow."

Lee's head jerked up and he stared at the radio hopefully. "Yes Sir! I am, Sir!"

"See that you take proper precautions then. I will be _very_ unhappy if anything happens to the mother of two small boys on your watch. Understood?"

"Understood, Sir!"

"So this whole snafu will be wrapped up by Saturday night? Harry Thornton's given you enough information for you to play the cover and I can trust you not to drag Leland Cassidy's name through too much mud between now and then?"

"Yes, Sir! On all counts Sir!" Lee was practically standing at attention now.

"Um, Sir?" Amanda's voice was timid. "Does Mr. Cassidy know about this? Has anyone told him, I mean?"

"Why are you asking, Mrs. King?" The voice sounded even more brusque if that was possible.

"Oh well," Amanda spread her hands, forgetting he couldn't see her as she began to ramble. "I just think it would be polite – you know, in case any of this gets back to him – for him to know that we certainly didn't mean for this to happen, and that even though it did, he really is still helping his country by letting us pretend to be him and his wife – I mean if he even has a wife, because we don't even know that because he's so private – and I know that he might never find out, living out of the public eye the way he does, but it still seems a little bit rude that we're doing this if we haven't told him. Sir," she added apologetically as an afterthought.

There was a brief silence and then Blue Leader answered, in a slightly warmer tone, "That's good thinking, Mrs. King, and even though he lives out beyond the black stump, I can assure you he would have heard about this one way or another. But as it happens, I can also tell you that someone from the Agency called Leland Cassidy last night and briefed him thoroughly on your escapades."

Lee looked at her and grimaced. _Escapades… That makes it sound so… unprofessional. It had to have been Harry – God, I hope he was right about Cassidy having a sense of humor.._.

Amanda gave him a hopeful look in return and spoke to the disembodied voice again. "And he's not upset?"

"No, Mrs. King, he's not upset. I might even go so far as to say he might even be impressed at what you two have managed to accomplish in just two days."

"Thank you, Sir," said Amanda with real gratitude. "And if you speak to him, please tell him thank you too. We really are just trying to do our best for the country."

"I will certainly pass that long if I speak with him, Mrs. King." If Lee didn't know better, he would have sworn that their invisible boss was _smiling_ at Amanda – and then the voice turned stern again. "Scarecrow, I expect to hear nothing but good out of your reports for the next few days, are we clear?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Good. Then I'll leave you two to your dinner. Good night, Mrs. King."

"Good Night, Mr. Blue Leader, Sir," answered Amanda.

Lee could _swear_ he heard a stifled laugh before the sound of a click and then the radio began to play again. There was a long silence and then Amanda turned to look at Lee.

"Who was _that_?" she half-whispered as if she was afraid he might still be listening.

"That was our bosses' bosses' boss," he found himself whispering back.

"But who is he? Does he always do that?" she pointed at the radio with a slightly trembling hand.

"No one knows who he is," Lee admitted. "But yeah, that's usually how he talks to us. Actually he usually comes through my car radio. He likes to use ways that are harder to eavesdrop on."

"Well, it's creepy," said Amanda firmly. "Now I'm going to be worried every time I get interference on my car radio."

"I'm pretty sure Blue Leader isn't going to be eavesdropping on your runs to Little League, Amanda," Lee couldn't help starting to laugh.

"But how will I know?" she asked, starting to smile in the face of Lee's dimples. "For all I know, someone in the Agency could be taking notes on what I order at the drive-through and ratting me out to the Agency doctors!"

"Oh Amanda." Lee shook his head, laughing, inexpressibly cheered by her ridiculousness. "Let's just do as we were told and get back to making dinner, okay?"

"Okay. Here, pass me a cutting board and some of those vegetable and I'll help," she offered, holding out a hand. A few minutes later, she looked up and smiled at Lee as he worked on preparing the seafood. "This is nice. We don't get to do normal people stuff very often," she said.

"No, we don't," he agreed. "You missing your regular life? I know it's only been two days, but you seem like a bit of a homebody."

"Yeah, I miss the boys and Mother of course, but it's only for a few days and it's probably good for me to get out of my rut."

"Your rut?" Lee started to laugh. "What part of weekending with royalty or rescuing Russian computer nerds is your rut?"

Amanda snorted as she continued to chop. "You're right," she agreed, "but I do miss my kitchen. This one is kind of dull – all that effort in the rest of the house and nothing down here at all. I mean, would it kill them to have nice curtains or a splash of color? Blue always makes a kitchen look cheery, I think."

"And yellow flowers," added Lee, reaching to take the cutting board from her and sweep the vegetables into the wok he'd pulled out.

"Exactly," said Amanda happily. She watched him for a moment, stirring and flipping, adding spices and ingredients with great concentration. "Lee, did you think Blue Leader sounded, I don't know, odd?"

Lee lifted a brow as he gave her a sideways look. "You mean odder than a guy who's talking to us through the radio?"

"No, not that," she said thoughtfully. "There was just something in what he said and I can't put my finger on it."

Lee shrugged. "I try not to give it much thought. He wants his identity to be a secret, we deal in secrets, I don't ask."

"Yeah," she agreed thoughtfully. She glanced at her watch and jumped. "Do I have time to call Mother and the boys before that's ready? They should be done with dinner and homework so it's a good time"

"Yeah sure – you go ahead. I'll put it on low and go find a bottle of wine to go with it."

As Amanda hurried to the den to pick up the phone and call home, she ignored that tiny voice inside her head.

_I could get used to this_.


	9. Nobody Here But Us Chickens

Amanda lay in bed Friday morning, enjoying the luxury of knowing she didn't have anywhere to go and no one was going to come and interrupt her half-doze. Frederick and Mary, the fake butler and maid, had probably arrived for their shift by now, but they wouldn't come upstairs unless it was to find Lee for something. No doubt they were down in the kitchen, enjoying the remains of the poppy seed cake she'd made the night before and the coffee she'd set to brew for ten minutes before their arrival.

Unlike Lee, they'd been quite appreciative of her waffles the day before – Mary had even contributed by rooting through the fridge for fruit and making an amazing berry coulis from scratch as an addition – but Amanda had known the night before that she'd been overdoing it on her ankle and needed to rest today. Nope, the cake was going to have to be enough today – she just hoped Lee would at least have a slice of that so he'd have something except coffee in his system. Honestly, how does he even survive on what he eats?

" _Can't you ever just sit still?" Lee had asked the night before watching her whisk up the cake ingredients after they'd finished dinner and cleared away the dishes. "I'm exhausted just watching you."_

" _Of course I can," she retorted. "I'm just not used to having nothing to do on a school night. I should be helping with spelling tests or explaining fractions or baking cookies for the class party Phillip forgot to tell me about. Oh my gosh." She stopped dead suddenly and stared into space, before nodding and going back to mixing ingredients. "For a second there, I thought the party was this week but it must be next week because it's supposed to Thanksgiving themed and that's not until next week. But at least that gives me something to do tomorrow because I can make those here and freeze them and that will be good because I'm going to be so busy back at the Agency when this is all over what with being gone so many days that I might not have time later."_

_Lee hadn't been able to stop laughing. "Amanda, one minute you're complaining about your ankle and the next you're planning a day running around the kitchen. Can't you just relax?"_

_Amanda had looked at him with surprise. "Oh, Lee, this is how I relax! And baking cookies isn't tiring. It's just like this, mix things up, put them into bake, let them cool. Easy peasy."_

" _Couldn't you just get those ones from TV? You know – the ones you just slice off the tube?"_

_Amanda couldn't have looked more pained if she'd tried. "Tube cookies? Oh Lee," she'd shaken her head pityingly. "Those shouldn't even be called cookies – I don't even want to think about what's in those. You'll see tomorrow – I'll make extra and save you some."_

_He had perked up at that. "You will?"_

" _Of course I will," she'd answered with surprise. "Unless… do you want me to make brownies as well? I know you like them."_

" _Amanda!" Lee dropped his head in his hands. "I'm going to have diabetes if you keep this up!"_

" _Oh I don't think so," she answered. "You keep pretty fit – it shouldn't be a problem." Her gaze had drifted idly over him before she'd started to blush and turned away. "But of course, if you were to eat a proper breakfast, that would help."_

" _And there it is," grinned Lee. "The stick behind the carrot."_

" _Don't be silly," said Amanda, smile turning impish. "Carrots are healthy."_

" _Not in a carrot cake," he pointed out._

_Amanda got a faraway look in her eye. "I do have a killer carrot cake recipe somewhere," she said thoughtfully._

" _Cream cheese icing?" Lee asked hopefully._

_Her attention snapped back into focus and she shook the mixing spoon at him. "Not for you. I wouldn't be a good wife if I let you eat nothing but desserts. I mean it's one thing to look the other way about your cocaine addiction, but nutrition is important – something you seem to conveniently forget most days, Mr. Cassidy."_

_Lee put a hand over his heart and looked wounded. "I make you dinner and this is the thanks I get!"_

_Amanda had immediately looked guilty, "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, Lee! I didn't even think-"_

" _Kid?" he interrupted her before she could really get going. "It was literally the least I could do. You've upended your whole life for this with no warning and I'm really grateful."_

" _Oh, well. Thank you," she answered softly, ducking her head in the now familiar gesture of embarrassment._

" _You're welcome." Lee stood up and went to take the bowl out of her hands. "Okay, now sit down. Even I know how to pour mix into a cake pan."_

_Amanda had sunk into one of the kitchen chairs, more grateful to be off her bad ankle than she'd admit and watched him expertly grease the cake tin, then pour the batter, gently tipping the fluted pan until the batter was even distributed before opening the over and sliding it onto the middle rack._

" _You do that like a pro," she said finally._

" _I had a good teacher a long time ago," he grinned. "Although it feels odd to only be doing one instead of a hundred."_

" _A hundred?"_

" _Long story," he waved it off as he sat down opposite her and picked up his coffee again._

_Amanda looked around the empty kitchen pointedly. "I think we have time."_

_Lee looked around in surprise as if he had really only just remembered they were alone again. "Long boring story," he amended._

" _So tell me a long not-boring story," said Amanda immediately. "You must have a million of those and they can't all be need-to-know. Tell me what Lee Stetson got up to before he was a spy."_

_Lee shifted uncomfortably. He knew he could spin a yarn at the drop of a hat, had done it on pointless dates with nameless girls a thousand times, but he didn't want to do that now, in the quiet closeness of this unfamiliar kitchen with Amanda. She was watching him expectantly, sipping her own coffee._

" _The first real concert I ever went to was Woodstock," he offered finally._

" _Really?" She put the cup down on the table and leaned forward eagerly. "What was that like?"_

" _Muddy," he grinned and watched her toss her head back with laughter._

" _Is that all you remember?" she asked._

" _That's more than a lot of people do," he pointed out._

" _True," she acknowledged with sparkling eyes. "But tell me more."_

" _I had to hitchhike up from my unc-… from where I was living at the time, so I missed the first day but I got there just in time to see Santana…"_

_Amanda picked her cup back off and leaned back, relaxed and watching as Lee began to wax poetic about that rainy weekend, catching glimpses of the boy he'd been then._

She lay staring at the ceiling, smiling again at some of his outlandish stories. When he had started to wind down about Woodstock, she contributed a few stories of her own youth and between one thing and another, they'd talked until after midnight, stopping for slices of warm cake and spluttering with laughter over the silliest things. It had been nice – even though they'd become pretty good friends over the last few months and been through some pretty crazy stuff together, it was rare that they got such quiet uninterrupted time to just talk. What with his regular party rounds with his circle of girlfriends and her not being able to tell her mother about him, most of their time together had been over lunches and coffee breaks and usually ended up being about work anyway. Last night had been different – just two friends talking about themselves.

_And yet, there's still so much he won't tell me._

She knew from little things he'd said that Lee's childhood had not been as idyllic as hers, but every time she'd given him an opening last night, he'd avoided it, changing the subject with the ease of long practice. She didn't want to press when it was so obvious that he didn't want to discuss it, but it hurt when she said something that seemed innocent only to see the flash in his expression that told her that once again, she'd managed to say exactly the wrong thing.

 _Maybe I should ask Francine_.

She didn't really want to – it seemed like such an invasion of his fiercely-kept privacy but maybe if she had some hints to go on? Francine had filled her in on some of the work things, like how his partner had died but nothing personal.

_No. That would be wrong. I shouldn't ask her things I'm not willing to ask him._

In the absolute quiet of the early morning, she slowly became aware of an odd noise that she couldn't quite place. Slipping out of the bed, she went to the doorway, straining to figure out what it was. She walked along the hall, her bare feet making no noise on the thick carpet until she found herself outside Lee's door. It sounded vaguely like raised voices, but not quite. Maybe Blue Leader was talking to him through the radio again? She knocked quietly and got no answer. Taking a breath, she turned the doorknob and pushed the door slightly open.

"Lee?" She slowly looked around the door and scanned the room. It took a few seconds and then she realized that what she'd been hearing was Lee singing in the shower, not very well but with enthusiasm. She paused, trying to make out what the song was. After the conversation last night, probably the Grateful Dead, she thought. Or maybe CCR?

Suddenly the volume of Lee's voice went way up as he began to bellow out the chorus of the song.

_There was something in the air that night_

_The stars were bright, Fernando_

_They were shining there for you and me_

_For liberty, Fernando_

Slapping her hand across her mouth to muffle the shriek of laughter bubbling up, Amanda yanked the door shut and scampered back down the hallway, trying not to step down too hard on her bad ankle. Back in her room, she collapsed back against the door and finally let the laughter out.

"Okay" she told the empty room. "Maybe I don't want to know all his secrets!"


	10. Make Yourself at Home

"Mrs. Cassidy?"

Amanda's head shot up from the book of Australian history she was reading – it had been one of a stack of books Francine had brought by for Lee's research, although the only one intended as a joke. _If you're going to pretend to be an Aussie, you should know the basics_ , she'd teased. _It's not all just sheep and convicts, you know – although maybe the convict parts might be good research for this case._

Amanda shoved the incriminating book under a cushion as she took in the formal tone in the fake butler's voice. This wasn't Freddy the joking agent with the thick Bronx accent she'd had coffee with that morning, helping him with his picks from the racing pages – this was definitely Frederick the Butler. She'd heard the doorbell, but it hadn't occurred to her that it was anything but a delivery. After all, no one would be visiting who didn't know who she really was.

Frederick's next words reminded her that she couldn't be more wrong. "Mr. James Delano is here to see you." The tone remained formal but the steady gaze he was giving her told Amanda he knew exactly who their visitor was.

"Well, how lovely," she managed to say. "Show him in."

Frederick turned impassively and gestured for Delano to step into the room.

"Jim," she cooed, dragging herself to her feet and walking toward him with her hands outstretched. "How unexpected. Delightful, of course, but you should have let me know. I would have worn something more… feminine."

She glanced down at the casual clothes she was in with a mental wince. This is not how Sunny Cassidy should look.

"You look lovely no matter what you wear," said Delano smoothly. "But whatever have you done to yourself?" he asked, looking down at her feet. "Why are you limping?"

"Oh I twisted my ankle, falling off a high heel." _Nice that the truth fits the cover_. "And I've just been spending the day icing it, and the ice pack clashed with my regular clothes," she trilled with fake laughter.

"Oh dear, that sounds terribly, terribly painful," he replied with a sympathetic look. "Not that I should complain."

"No?"

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips. "I can't complain about anything that's going to keep you from running away from me."

"Oh Jimmy, you're such a flirt!" Amanda's eyes flicked to Freddy's over his shoulder. "Frederick, perhaps you could bring us some coffee? Unless you'd like something harder?" she asked Delano.

"Only if you do, lovely Sunny," he answered smoothly. "But harder is better, don't you think?" he went on with a lascivious wink.

Amanda barely managed to cover the shudder she wanted to give that she'd walked right into that one. "Well then Frederick, could you please bring up the drinks cart? And make sure that good Scotch is on it – I have a hankering for a nice Glenfiddich."

"Of course, Madame. I'll bring it as quickly as possible." The nod he gave along at the mention of Lee's favorite drink sent a wave of relief through Amanda. The call for reinforcements would be made within the next few minutes.

"So what brings you by, Jim?" Amanda turned back to Delano with what she hoped was a simpering smile as Frederick backed out of the room. "Lee isn't here – I thought he was meeting you tomorrow to meet those other backers he was so interested in." She began to ramble as Delano moved closer. "I do get so bored with all his talk about finding investors and trying to keep the Board happy. I mean, who cares if his Board is happy if his wife isn't?" She pouted and limped back toward the sofa before remembering that book was still shoved under the cushion and wandered to look out the window instead. Part of her was hoping she'd see Lee already outside, but that was impossible – she knew he was at least a mile and a half away and eight stories underground to boot – no way for him to pick up on her vibes this time.

"I couldn't agree more, Sunny," answered Delano, following her closely. "I think Lee's a fool if he's not keeping you happy."

"You do?" she turned to him and answered in a breathless childlike voice. "I think so too! I mean, why does he need more money? I hear him complaining all the time to those boring men he meets with about they need to find him more cash flow, but how does a millionaire run out of money?"

"Or even a billionaire," said Delano meaningfully.

"Is that a real word?" asked Amanda still in that breathy voice. "I always thought that was a joke people made about rich men named Bill. So does a billionaire have more or less money than a millionaire?"

Delano's eyes widened fractionally at the apparent stupidity of the question. "More money, Sunny Dear, much more."

"More than a million? Wowee," Amanda drew out the sound of the exclamation and then pouted again. "Well then I don't see why he has to worry about that Freddie Mackenzie – or is it MacDonald? Anyway, that guy who he says has been bothering him. I mean, if we're so rich, how come that Mr. Mackenzie guy can just take our house in Vale the way he did?"

"Your husband is having problems with Freddie Mac?" asked Delano in a strangled voice.

"Yes! That guy! I think he's married to that lady who makes chocolates. Do you know them?" Amanda was really getting into the swing of playing the part now.

"Intimately," answered Delano with a wince. "But you shouldn't worry your pretty little head about him – if Leland can't support you in the manner you deserve, I'm sure we can find another big strong man to take care of you. Like me, for instance"

"You'd do that?" sighed Amanda. "Why, you're just like a Prince Charming."

"Of course, I would," said Delano stepping closer. "Every beauty deserves to be rescued from the beast. And like you said, I feel like we're destined to be together from a past life."

Amanda realized her error in judgement at standing too close to the window the moment Delano maneuvered her gently up against it and lowered his lips to hers. A million thoughts ran through her head in the next second.

_I can do this. Real agents have to do this stuff all the time. It's just like when I had to kiss Ralph in the play in sophomore year. It's just kissing. Lee can't be too far away right? Oh my gosh, what do I do with my hands?_

She gave a mental shrug and lifted her arms around Delano's neck, kissing him back and trying to think about anything other than the feel of his lips on hers.

 _Did I make enough cookies? I probably have time to make another batch on Sunday if I have to, because it can't hurt to have extra… Ugh, watch those hands, Buster_. _Warren Davenport could tell you a thing or two about what I can do to a guy's instep._

* * *

 

Back at the Agency, Lee was working at the table he'd commandeered in one of the meeting rooms for all the research they'd been doing on Delano and Hollander. This case was getting more complicated by the hour and the news that Harry Singer had just been found dead, run down in Rock Creek Park, was not making his agent sense of trouble tingle any less. If they were willing to kill a mensch like Singer, what else would they be willing to do? If he'd had any idea Singer's request for a meet at that party was going to lead to this, he would never have gotten Amanda involved, and now she was dead center in the path of trouble, right along with him. He groaned and rubbed his hand across his eyes in frustration.

"Scarecrow? You're Scarecrow, right?"

It was one of the new rookies, a guy named Standish or Summers or something, he thought. "Yeah, that's me. What do you need?"

"Uh, I gotta message for you from Agent Marino?"

"Is that a question or a statement?" sighed Lee. _God, the rookies get younger every year, I swear._

"Oh! A statement! But I wasn't sure if it was about a case or a girlfriend because you know, you have this reputation." Standish/Summers/Something jumped at the annoyed sound Lee made and fumbled with the piece of paper in his hand. "He said to find you and tell you James Delano just showed up at the house and Amanda is keeping him entertained."

"Oh my God!" Lee shot to his feet and tore out of the room.

"Lee! Where's the fire?" yelled Billy as he ran across the bullpen toward the exit.

"Amanda!" Lee shouted back and ran out the doors and down the hallway out of sight.

"Amanda," repeated Billy, sighing. "Why did I even need to ask?"

The drive to N Street had never seemed so long. Lee swore he could have run faster as he hit every red light and at one point seriously considered it when traffic slowed to a crawl about two blocks away. The only thing that kept him in the car was knowing Hollander had the place under watch and they'd definitely notice if he showed up without his flashy car.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," he growled at the cars in front of him, blowing out a groan of relief when it all began moving again, letting him zip along the last quarter mile to N Street.

Still hyper aware of Hollander's watchers, he slowed and pulled in front of the house, stepping out and swaggering up to the door like a man who had all the time in the world. Letting himself in with his key, he arrived just as Freddy wheeled a drink cart through the foyer, greeting him with a grimace and a silent finger pointing toward the sitting room.

In response, Lee pointed at the cart and motioned for him to go in first. Freddy put his butler face back on and pushed the cart forward again. Behind him, out of sight, Lee loosened his tie and top button and ran his hands through his hair to muss it up.

"Oh there you are, Frederick!" he heard Amanda say in a voice much higher than her normal one. "I'd begun to wonder if you'd forgotten us."

"Of course not, Madame. It just took me longer than expected to find the Glenfiddich you requested."

"Well, that's fine. You can just leave the cart and we'll look after ourselves." Delano sounded miffed at having been interrupted.

"Hey Sunny-Honey, I'm home!" Lee strolled into the room, purposely knocking against an end table as if he wasn't in complete control of his gangly limbs. "Oops-a-daisy!" he added, catching the table as it began to topple and putting it back into place with the much too careful motions of a man who'd been imbibing.

He straightened up and moved to allow Freddy back out of the room and let his gaze sweep the room. He stopped to look at Delano who was stepping away from Amanda, flushing guiltily – _I bet you are Buddy_ – and not looking at him, busy straightening his jacket cuffs and clearing his throat.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Amanda, noting the color in her face and the look of relief in her eyes that reminded him just a little too much of that day at Honeycutt Typewriters. She gave him a tremulous smile that suggested she knew exactly what he was thinking and a small nod to say " _I'm fine_ ".

"Oh hey there, Jimmy," Lee slurred his words slightly and swayed in place. "I didn't realize you'd be here, Mate." He'd adjusted his voice to have just a bit of an Australian nasal twang to it as if Cassidy had reverted to his natural accent in a less than sober state. He hiccupped and went on, "Were we meeting here today?" He looked around as if confused. "Wasn't I supposed to meet some other people too? I thought that was tomorrow."

"No, no," said Delano quickly. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in to see how Sunny was settling in."

"Oh." Lee paused, frowning as if he was thinking about that. "Ooohh," he drawled out as if understanding had just hit him. "You're here to see _Sunny_!" He wandered over to Amanda and slung an arm around her hips, yanking her up against him and kissing her soundly on the cheek. "You shoulda told me, Honey! I didn't mean to interrupt one of your little rendezvous!"

"Oh that's alright, Darling," she giggled even as she sagged slightly against him and clutched his shirt as if he was a life raft. "I didn't know Jim was coming by, but now that you're here, we can all have a little drinky together."

"I fear Leland may already have had a few drinkies," said Delano in a dry voice.

"Just a few," Lee grinned. "I had a pretty liquid lunch with a Congressman that I'm hoping is going to help me out with a few problems. But no worries, the sun is well over the yardarm and there's always room for another, right Mate? And I'm not drunk, just chipper."

"I hope you'll be less chipper tomorrow night," suggested Delano. "My East German backers do tend to be quite boring with their views of a debauched Western lifestyle."

"It'll be fine," said Lee, letting a trace of drunken belligerence into his voice, and rubbing his hand under his nose ostentatiously. "I'll just have a little powdered pick-me-up before I meet them and it'll be _fine_. God, you sound just like my father."

"Now don't get mad at Jimmy, Darling. He's just trying to help. Why are you in such a bad mood anyway? Didn't your meeting with the book people go well?" asked Amanda.

Lee turned his head slowly and stared down at her. "Book people?"

"The ones you said were going to help you with that Chapter 11 problem?" she went on, eyes wide. "Aren't you writing a book or something?"

Lee knew he was going to laugh and covered it by pulling her in and burying his face in her hair for a moment before pushing her away again and saying in a stern tone, "Oh Sunny, you know I told you not to talk about that in front of people."

"Did you?" she sighed. "You tell me so many things." She looked suitably downcast for a moment before suddenly appearing to cheer up. "Oh! James says he knows that Freddie Mac guy you've been complaining about – maybe he has some ideas about how to get him off your back!"

Delano made a choking sound at Amanda's apparently artless comment, while Lee continued to struggle to maintain his agent face and not laugh out loud. _What on earth was she doing before I got here?_ The desire to laugh vanished as he remembered exactly what Delano had been up to before he got there.

"Good to know," he managed to get out, "But that was another thing you weren't supposed to tell people, Sunny-honey."

"I'm sorry, Darling," said Amanda with a convincing trembling lip. "I forgot."

"It's fine. We'll all just have a little drink and forget all about it. What's your poison, Jimmy?" Lee asked as he dropped his arm from Amanda's shoulders and moved to the drink cart.

"Oh that's fine, I was just going anyway," answered Delano quickly. "As I said, I was just passing by as I said and wanted to make sure Sunny knew she was invited to our little celebration tomorrow night." He walked over to Amanda and lifted her hand to kiss. "It just wouldn't be a party without you."

"You are just so sweet!" she gushed. "I can't wait!"

Lee closed his eyes and sighed silently, glad Delano still had his back to him and couldn't see him. Amanda was _not_ supposed to go to that party. She was _supposed_ to be safely back in Arlington by then as they sprang the trap on Hollander and whoever he'd gotten to betray those missile secrets. Amanda caught his irritated look and her smile dimmed.

In response Lee broadened his and said loudly, "It's true – Sunny does bring a real something extra to a party! Here, I'll walk you out Jimmy and you can remind me who I'm going to meet. What time was it again?"

Amanda watched Lee steer Delano out of the room and stood for a moment, listening to their jovial goodbyes before letting herself sag back down onto the settee and drop her face into her hands with exhaustion from the effort of the last thirty minutes.

"Are you okay?" Lee had re-entered the sitting room and crossed over to her in a few long strides, dropping down to crouch in front of her and pull her hands down to hold them in his. "He didn't do anything, did he? I got here as fast as I could."

"I'm fine," she said, leaning back with a soft smile, racing on when it looked like he was about to disagree. "No, really, I am! It's just surprisingly tiring to pretend to be dumb."

Lee pulled himself up to sit beside her on the settee and looked her over. Amanda watched warily as his lips thinned and his eyes grew stormy as he took in the details of the way her shirt was hanging half out of her waistband and that it was no longer buttoned up as high as she usually had it.

"Lee," she said pre-emptively, putting a hand out on his arm. "I'm _fine_. You know Freddy would have interrupted him if you hadn't. And I would have thought of something - even if I'd had to pretend to be sick or something."

"You're fine," he repeated in that flat voice that meant he was still angry.

"I'm fine," she smiled at him and felt some of the tension ebb away from under her fingers. "Come on, Mary and I made those cookies I promised this morning. You can have some with your lunch, forget all about this for a few minutes."

Lee gazed at her thoughtfully. She really did seem okay and she was giving him that worried smile that probably meant he was overreacting – as usual. "Fine," he sighed. "I will let you distract me with cookies while you explain what on earth you told Delano about Cassidy's financial situation. And then we'll start working on a way to get you out of having to go to that damned party tomorrow!"

"Oh Lee," Amanda protested even as she got to her feet and began to limp toward the door. "Don't be silly – if I need to be there, I can go."

"Amanda!"

"Lee, there's going to be a hundred people at that party and I just need to sit in the middle of it and do nothing!"

"That's what got us in this mess in the first place, Kid!" Lee muttered as he followed her out of the room.

It was a relief to hear that note of amused exasperation back in his voice that meant the worst was over for now, Amanda thought with relief, as they made their way to the kitchen, squabbling.


	11. Just the Two of Us

"Oh Amanda, I wish you were home to see this! I'll save the clipping for you but you wouldn't believe how many people are calling and asking because it's simply uncanny! And of course, with you being away, it's so tempting to tell some of those silly women that it's true, but honestly, as if anyone could think it was is simply beyond me. I mean, not to say that you couldn't if you wanted to, but really, when would you have gotten the opportunity? Unless Penny introduced you, of course."

"Mother, I'm sure you're trying to tell me something but I have absolutely no idea what. What could I have done if I wanted to?"

"Oh, my goodness! I can't believe I didn't even tell you that part! I mean that's the funniest part, except you know, I'm looking at it myself and if I didn't know better, even I would think it!"

"Think what, Mother?" asked Amanda in a patient tone as she closed her eyes and shook her head in amused frustration.

"That this is you in this morning's paper! In the Post's society gossip column!"

"The Post gossip column?" Amanda sat bolt upright and started making gestures at Lee across the kitchen table to pass her the newspaper. "Why, how ridiculous! Whatever would I be doing in that?"

Instead of passing it to her, Lee crammed his piece of toast between his teeth and began flipping rapidly through the paper in front of him.

"Well, I mean obviously it's not you, but my gosh, she's a dead ringer for you, Darling."

"Who is, Mother?"

Amanda watched as Lee found the right page and his eyes bugged out. It was probably a good thing he'd put that toast in his mouth to keep him from saying anything out loud. She waved her hand at him again, trying to see what he was looking at.

Soundlessly, he turned the paper and held it up with a grin. Her jaw dropped as she took in the photo. It was a candid shot, obviously taken by a freelance photographer somewhere with a telephoto lens, of her and Francine walking out the door of one of the many, many swanky stores Francine had dragged her in and out of that first day, and a caption that read " _Mrs. Leland Cassidy, spotted out and about in the capital with an unnamed female companion_. _But where is her elusive husband?_ "

Amanda realized her mother was still talking.

"… and I'm going to go buy an extra copy for Lillian because I know she'll just think it's a hoot! I mean, I know everyone is supposed to have a doppelganger, but what were the odds that yours would be the wife of a billionaire? You should try and meet her and maybe get a job as her body double or something!"

"Mother!" Amanda interrupted, laughing. "I don't think rich women need body doubles!"

She watched Lee stifle a laugh at the idea of that and waved at him to stop, which just made him shake harder.

Her eyes widened at her mother's next words. "But isn't it funny how you can go years without hearing a name and then you hear it all the time? First you help save that man named Lee from being mugged and then you start working with another Lee and now here we have another one! I mean, not that Lee and Leland are the same, of course, but still, so similar!"

"Mother, what makes you think I work for someone named Lee?" Amanda squeaked. "My boss is named Billy." Lee had stopped laughing now and was staring at her, eyes wide.

"Is he?" asked Dotty doubtfully. "I could have sworn that the man who phoned about that camper van we had parked in the driveway that time said his name was Lee. I remember thinking it was a coincidence then."

"Maybe you just misheard Billy say his name," ventured Amanda, hoping to shut down this line of thought.

"I suppose I could have." said Dotty, although the tone of her voice suggested she thought otherwise. "And Leland isn't so close I suppose. I guess I'm just seeing patterns where there aren't any."

"That must be it," Amanda sighed with relief, short-lived as Dotty started up again.

"But wouldn't it have been just so romantic if the man at the station that day turned out to be a billionaire who fell madly in love with you and swept you off your feet but you had to get married in secret for some reason!"

"Mother! What possible reason would anyone have to get married secretly?"

"Oh Amanda, I didn't say it made sense! Just that it would be romantic – like a movie!" There was a pause then Dotty began to expand on that with renewed enthusiasm. "Or maybe it's a sign, Amanda! Maybe the universe is trying to tell you to be on the lookout for a man named Lee! Or that you should try and track down that man you helped that day! Maybe he's been looking for you too – pining away, wondering who his guardian angel was and wishing she'd left a clue like a shoe behind like Cinderella!"

Amanda couldn't help letting her eyes flick up to look at Lee who had given up all pretense of reading the paper now and was sitting back listening to her side of the conversation with a half-smile. "I doubt that very much, Mother, and what's more, I think you've been watching too many of those made-for-TV movies. And you haven't even told me yet how the boys are doing!"

"Haven't I? I suppose I haven't – well…"

Eventually she managed to wrap up the conversation with her mother with assurances that she had not in fact run off and secretly married a billionaire and that she would be home by tomorrow and that yes, she really had borrowed the kitchen at the boarding house they were staying at and she really had baked enough cookies for the class party. She put down the receiver and finally gave way to the fit of giggles.

She pulled the paper across the table to study the picture. It was a good shot of her, but Francine was partially hidden behind her shoulder.

"Unnamed female companion," said Lee chuckling. "Nice touch."

"How did they even find out who I was playing?" asked Amanda. She looked up with sudden realization. "Wait, did the Agency plant this? Was this on purpose?"

"Yeah, this has Francine's fingerprints all over it," confirmed Lee, eyes twinkling. "She's always got an eye for the detail that will confirm a cover. That'll be why she picked one where you can't see her all that well – she's too well known on the social scene for the Post not to know who she is."

Amanda looked back at the photo and pouted. "I've never looked so good in my life for a picture and I can't even admit to anyone it's me!" She looked back up at Lee, unable to keep the laughing smile off her face for long. "But my mother can frame it and _tell_ people it's me!"

"I'll get an 8 by 10 of the original," he promised. "IF you promise to stay out of trouble at the party tonight!" He wagged a finger at her threateningly.

"Lee, you know I never try to get in trouble – it just happens," she said consolingly.

"I know," he answered, shaking his head. "But maybe, just once, it could not happen tonight?"

She held up her hand solemnly. "I will try. Scout's Honor"

A brief flash of frustration crossed his face. He hadn't told her about Singer's death, worried it might panic her but he was debating that now, wondering if he needed to make her understand just how dangerous this was getting to be. "I wish we'd been able to get some other agents in there tonight, but that guest list is locked down harder than the White House."

"You think I'm going to be that much trouble?" she asked, trying to sound flippant but actually worried that he might consider her that much of a liability.

"No, of course not," Lee smiled, reassuringly. "It's just that there's more than few people invited tonight that I'd like to be able to keep an eye on and that'll be trickier with only the two of us watching."

_Two of us_. Amanda couldn't hide a moment of panic at those words.

"What?" Lee asked, not knowing what that look meant.

"You said the two of us, like I'm really part of this," she explained. "Like you're not just stuck with me, like you usually are."

"Amanda! I'm never just stuck with you!"

"Yes, you are," she said, seriously. "I mean, I only ever end up in the middle of stuff like this by accident mostly – even this time."

"And you've always been helpful," Lee replied, still confused. "What's different about this time?"

"All the other times, I wasn't the only one there," explained Amanda worriedly. "Francine has always been there, or Efraim or Sammy – you had real agents backing you up. This time you only have me."

Lee reached over and took her hand. "I only had you at the train station, and in the hospital when Mrs. Welch and her goon came after me. That turned out pretty well."

"Yeah, but I didn't know what I was getting into then," she replied wretchedly. "This time, it isn't some guy getting mugged – this time it's the security of the whole country. What if I miss something that a real agent would have seen? You need more help than just me."

"Hey, come on – we wouldn't even be able to get into this party if it wasn't for you," Lee pointed out, seriously. "And you've been perfect so far – you came up with a cover on the spot with no training and ran with it as well as any agent I've ever seen. I mean, it's still amazing it ended up being this good a cover, but maybe that just means you have the one thing every agent wishes they had." His steady gaze lit up with a sudden smile.

"Which is what?" Amanda asked, already reassured by that grin.

"Blind luck," he laughed. "You must have a guardian angel looking after you the way you keep getting out of things without getting hurt." He caught Amanda's slight eyeroll and amended quickly, "Okay, without getting hurt worse."

"I'm still nervous about tonight," she confessed.

_God, if she was already this worried, it's a good thing I didn't tell her about Singer._ "Don't be," he said reassuringly. "Our chauffeur will be an agent and he'll be monitoring the mike I'll be wearing."

"What about me? Will I have a wire too?"

"Not necessary," Lee waved off her concern. "You're going to stay put right in the middle of everything and no one's going to say anything incriminating in the middle of a crowd like that. I mean, you might see something useful but you just need to make sure I know about it. And I'll be sticking like a burr to Hollander – he's the one we really need to hear, him and whoever he's meeting to get that missile information."

"But what if I do hear something? What if something happens and I need help?" Amanda persisted.

"Well, then I think you should probably just scream," Lee shrugged. "Amanda, stop worrying – you said it yourself, you're in the middle of a hundred Washington types, it'll be fine."

"Okay," Amanda nodded. "You're probably right."


	12. Party Crashers

The limousine pulled up the long drive, easing to a stop behind the long line of cars dropping off the crème de la crème of Washington society. Lee turned to look at Amanda, marveling again at the transformation from her usual look. The glamour makeup and the blown-out hair style was almost enough to make her unrecognizable, and then she'd turned to meet his gaze and even in the dim light of the backseat, he could see the dark depths of her eyes light up.

"Checking out the armor?" she asked with a low laugh.

"The armor?" he repeated in confusion.

"All this," she swept her hand down her body at the vivid blue dress and glittering jewelry. "Francine called this my armor." She could see he was still looking bewildered and went on. "She knew I was nervous about tonight, that's why she came over to do my makeup and hair for me and give me a pep talk. She says she does the same thing when she has to play a cover like a hook-… like this one… because nobody looks past the image."

"She did a good job," Lee admitted. "But you're still in there, right?"

"Of course I am!" Amanda's husky chuckle bubbled out reassuringly. "Just counting the minutes until I can scrub this all off and go back to being myself in my regular life."

Lee looked at her searchingly for a moment and said "You know this isn't like one of Francine's fake hooker covers right? You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Hell, if you want to pretend to have a fight with me in the driveway and storm off home, no one would blame you."

"Don't be silly, we're already here. And it's not going to be so bad – the most he can do in a crowded room is leer and pinch my bottom – and heaven knows, that can happen in the grocery store on a bad day!"

"What kind of grocery stores are you hanging out in?" Lee laughed, relieved that this creature in front of him sounded like Amanda at least.

"Why do you want to know? Planning on testing it out as a pick-up technique?" Her eyes were twinkling at him and he could tell their banter had relaxed her a bit.

"Don't be ridiculous – billionaires don't do their own shopping!" he shot back and watched her head rock back with a full-throated burst of laughter. If anything could reassure him that the real Amanda was behind that armor, it was that sound - that completely uninhibited sound of pure enjoyment of the moment.

The car inched forward and stopped again, and their agent chauffeur hopped out to open the door. "Have a lovely evening, Mrs. Cassidy," he intoned, helping Amanda out of the backseat.

"You're going to wait here?" asked Lee, gesturing to the other parked limos, and tapping his tie pin significantly.

The chauffeur rubbed his ear where the earpiece was barely visible. "Yes Sir, I'll be available immediately if required."

"Excellent." Lee turned to look at Amanda who was staring up at the brightly lit portico like a deer in headlights. "You ready, Sunny-Honey?"

Amanda glanced at him with a worried look. "Don't I look ready?"

"You look… fabulous," he answered, remembering telling Harry she was beautiful the other night and thought how much truer it had been then, when she'd just been herself than it was now. He watched her take a deep breath and force herself to relax. He held out the crook of his arm. "Come on, let's go catch the bad guys."

* * *

 

"Sunny! I'm delighted to see you here at last! Do come and let me set you up like a queen in the middle of everything where you don't have to be on that foot!" Delano was oozing all over her the second they walked in the door. "Let's leave Leland here to all the movers and shakers, and I'll come and amuse you." His voice dropped to a stage whisper as he led her away from Lee. "And maybe later we can find somewhere to be alone and I can really get you off your feet. I have a lot to celebrate tonight."

"Oh goody!" Amanda gushed. "I can hardly wait!" She looked back over her shoulder at Lee who was scowling after them. She gave him an encouraging smile until his agent face returned, then turned her attention back to Delano. "Well you know, once Lee starts talking money with people, I'm sure I won't see him again for the whole night!"

"Well, that sounds simply perfect," leered Delano. "I'm so glad to hear that!"

Lee watched until he saw Delano set Amanda up on a seat at the bar – which actually couldn't be better for their purposes since it gave her a full view of the room and everyone in the place would probably wander up there at some point. He hoped she was good at taking mental notes – knowing Amanda, she'd probably overhear twenty other schemes just in the course of the evening. _Maybe we should have wired her up after all._

He spun slowly on the spot until he spotted Hollander, then carefully moved toward a waiter with a tray of drinks, collecting one and then starting to make his way around the room, chatting with all the women, all the while watching to see who Hollander interacted with. The room was sprinkled with mostly Washington cognoscenti and a few men he recognized from his research as East German 'businessmen' – hard to say if they really were or if they were just Stasi fronts – not that those two things were mutually exclusive, of course. After all, only powerful Party members would be allowed to run successful businesses on that side of the Wall.

He continued to drift through the crowd, making amiable conversation until he got closer to Hollander and greeted him in his best booming jocular tones. "Curt! Glad to see you! When are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Hollander winced at Lee's overly loud conversation, but quickly turned to do the introductions, dropping a few choice words in German to the businessmen about Cassidy's addictions and general stupidity, probably thinking Lee wouldn't understand. Lee, in fact, understood every word, but continued to smile like an idiot and shake hands enthusiastically with each man in turn.

"So, Leland, I am supposed to leave America tomorrow but you have intrigued me with the possibilities we discussed the other evening. If I were to stay another few days, do you think we could find time to discuss mutually beneficial things?" Hollander asked bluntly.

"I'm certain you and I could find something to talk about for hours, Curt," said Lee with absolute truth. He did, after all, have plans to keep Hollander in an interrogation room for days after this. "How does Monday morning work for you?" He leaned in confidentially and added "Because I'm pretty sure the party I'm going to after this one will keep me laid out all day tomorrow, if you know what I mean!"

"Oh, will your lovely wife be joining you at the next party?" asked Hollander with a speaking look across the room where Amanda and Delano were sitting close together.

Lee gritted his teeth and swallowed hard. "Oh, from the looks of it, this party suits her just fine. She'll probably be staying on with her new friend."

"Ah. I see a few people I must talk to, do you mind? I will find you later, Leland, and we can discuss out get together."

"Sure thing, Curt," Lee waved him off and turned to the other Germans. "So you fellas gonna be at that meeting too? Excellent – well in that case, I can now tell my accountant this counted as a business meeting and go enjoy the rest of this shindig!" He toasted the bemused Germans theatrically with his glass of Scotch and ambled off toward the blondest girl in the room - who conveniently just happened to be standing near Hollander.

As he managed to maintain a flirtation with the girl from sheer muscle memory, he watched Hollander pressing the flesh with at least three men that were on Lee's list of people with access to the missile information.

_Damnit, this town could leak like a sieve under the right circumstances_ he thought _. Who the hell is our mark?_

* * *

Amanda had almost reached the end of her tether and her imagination for inane conversation as far as it went with James Delano. She'd thought that eventually he'd have to go do whatever he had to do with Hollander and she'd get a break but instead he'd stuck to her like glue – and so had his hands. She could only thank God and Francine for deciding to wear this dress which at least kept him from being able to touch much of her skin, certain she wouldn't be able to disguise how he was making it crawl.

She lifted her glass to her lips and looked around the room anxiously, hoping she could spot Lee. In the middle of the room, her gaze stopped as she met the eyes of a tall gangly red-haired man who was staring at her so intently that she actually turned to look behind her to see if he was really looking at someone else. And then to her complete confusion, his face lit up with recognition and he strode toward her through the crowd.

"Mrs. Cassidy? It's you, right? I saw your picture in the paper! You're even prettier in person!"

"I, uh, yes, that was me," she started to say, but it was swept away in the enthusiasm of the man's conversation.

"I'm actually a reporter with the Post myself – with the Finance section. Is your husband here?" He smiled hopefully. "I would absolutely kill for an interview with Leland Cassidy!"

She was just getting ready to answer him when he turned abruptly to look around the room and in doing so, hit Delano's elbow, upending his glass of red wine all over him.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Oh my God!" he repeated in tones of deep horror as he took in who he'd just bumped into. "Mr. Delano! I am SO sorry! I am such a klutz!" He began dabbing at Delano's shirt with a handful of cocktail napkins as if it could make the slightest difference to a man who now looked like he'd had a run-in with Jack the Ripper.

"Stop! Stop!" yelled Delano, batting his hands away. "For God's sake, you're making it worse!"

The embarrassed man stepped back, blushing furiously in that way particular to redheads. "I'm really sorry," he mumbled again.

Delano appeared to get his temper under control with some difficulty as heads turned around the room. "No real harm done," he said through gritted teeth. He turned to Amanda and went on, "I'll just pop upstairs and change shirts. It’s one of the benefits of being the host when this sort of thing happens."

"I'll be waiting right here for you," she cooed back at him, silently wondering if she could make it to the powder room and hide out there for the rest of the evening before he got back. _No you can't – Lee needs you to keep eyes on the room_ she scolded herself.

"Mrs. Cassidy? Are you ok? I didn't get anything spilled on you, did I?" The clumsy guy was staring at her earnestly.

A thought struck her, even though she knew Lee had said otherwise. "Are you an agent?" she asked him quietly, wondering if her rescue had been intentional after all.

"I'm sorry – did you just ask if I was an angel?" he asked, looking completely taken aback.

"Uh yes, I did," she stammered, backtracking quickly. "I really wanted to go to the powder room and I just couldn't get him to stop talking."

"Oh well, then, glad I could help," her hero grinned at her. "So could you point me toward your husband as a reward for my good deed? I really could use that interview."

Amanda looked around the room and found Lee, who had allowed himself to be pinned to the wall by the blonde. He looked interested in what she was saying but even from here, Amanda could see the way his eyes were actually tracking across the room, watching Hollander and a few other suspects.

"He's over there," she pointed him out, before realizing Lee wouldn't want any distractions right now. She rushed on, "But honestly, he'll be pretty drunk by this time and any interview would be useless. You should probably just give me your card and I'll have him call you. What was your name?"

"James Cook," said the journalist, starting to go through his pockets. "Darn, I can't find my business cards. Tell you what-" He grabbed a cocktail napkin off the bar and scribbled on it. "That should do it," he said triumphantly.

"As long as I don't have to clean up any messes again," quipped Amanda.

"Indeed not," he beamed back at her. "Thanks again!" He turned and disappeared into the crowd.

_Maybe I do have a guardian angel_ thought Amanda, as she absent-mindedly tucked the napkin in her clutch. _And he's a carrot-topped klutz_.

She eased herself off the bar stool and made her way toward the powder room, aware as she did so that they were setting up one of the rooms for a musical performance. _Hopefully, Delano will have to keep his hands to himself during that_ , she thought.

One of the waiters pointed her toward the small room under the stairs but just as she was about to go in, she noticed Hollander disappear around the corner, following someone carrying a large briefcase. She looked behind her for Lee but couldn't see him. She knew she couldn't get back over there fast enough on her ankle to find him and for him to catch up and follow them.

_I'll just see what room they go into and then come back for him_ , she said to herself. _He can't get mad at me for that_.

She began to limp down the hall, grateful that she'd been able to trade her air cast for a pair of flat pumps that made no sound in the plush carpet. She arrived just in time to see them disappear through one of the wood-panelled doors and paused to count down the hall.

"Third door on the left", she muttered and turned to go back to the main room, only to find herself staring into the chest of the burly waiter who'd given her the directions in the first place.

"Lost, ma'am?" he asked.

Amanda locked down at the small pistol he had pointing at her and sighed. "Oh my gosh."

"Let's go," he grunted and began pushing her down the hall.

"I don't know why you're doing this," she began to protest and trying to move as slowly as possible. "I was just looking for another bathroom because someone was in that one. "I'm sure Mr. Delano would be very upset if he knew you were treating a guest like this!"

"Guess we'll find out, won't we?" sneered the waiter, pushing her into the room just after the one Hollander had gone into. He pointed at a chair. "Sit."

He backed away from her toward a connecting door and opened it halfway. Through the doorway, Amanda could see Hollander and a man she finally recognized from Lee's stacks of research as Senator Jake Commoran. A slide projector had been set up and she could see it was projecting a large satellite photo of what she could only assume was the missile site against the far wall.

"What is it?" snapped Hollander as the waiter coughed to get their attention.

"You had some company in the hallway," the waiter explained. "Thought I should bring her to you."

Hollander's gaze shifted to Amanda and turned ugly. He turned his head and spoke to someone out of Amanda's sight. "I should have known you'd screw this up somehow. She can't be working alone. Now we'll have to find that husband of hers as well."

James Delano stepped out from behind the wall and glanced in, blenching when he saw who was sitting there.

"Jimmy, I don't understand what's going on," Amanda tried again to talk her way out of this. "I was just looking for the bathroom."

"I'll deal with her – you go make yourself visible in front of your guests again, Delano. And try not to look so suspicious for God's sake." Hollander gestured for him to leave and with one last pained look at Amanda, Delano did as he asked.

With a sinking heart, Amanda watched her best hope of convincing anyone she was just an innocent bystander walk out of the room.


	13. In the Lion's Den

Along with most of the room, Lee had been momentarily distracted by the uproar at the bar. Turning to look, he hadn't been in the least surprised to see that Amanda was in the middle of it. "What on earth are you up to now?" he'd asked himself before looking back at Hollander and immediately forgetting about her.

"Gotcha!" he muttered as he watched Jake Commoran practically break out in a sweat the moment Hollander had spoken to him. He couldn't hear what was said in the brief exchange but the senator had nodded and moved quickly out of the room and a few moments later, Hollander had finished speaking with another guest and followed him out.

Lee skirted the room, watching as they headed down the hall. Glancing sideways, he saw the French doors in the music room leading to the terrace that ran down that side of the house and darted quickly among the rows of chairs to slip outside. Once there, he started making his way from door to door, staying in the shadows as he peered in each one, trying to see which room they'd gone into.

He was in luck – they'd gone into Delano's den – and although they'd drawn the curtains, there was just enough of a gap for him to be able to see what was going on. He watched as they quickly set up the projector and discussed the missile placement, keeping up a running commentary for the agent who was listening out in the limo, all the while snapping photos with the miniature camera he'd brought along. And then the door to the next room had opened and Hollander's face had darkened with rage.

"Oh God. Amanda." He didn't know how he knew – he just felt it in his bones. Running to the next set of doors, he'd looked in and seen her sitting in the chair looking frankly terrified. He began speaking rapidly into his tie pin. "Dawson – Hollander has Amanda and it looks like they might be on to us. Call in backup now – we're going to need it sooner rather than later." He could only pray the mike was really working – but for now, he was going to assume it wasn't and that he was on his own.

He moved back to the other doors, watching through the chink in the curtains as Delano left hurriedly and Hollander wrapped up business with Commoran. He continued the whispered description of what was going on for Dawson, as well as taking pictures – there was no way they were going to lose this one from lack of evidence. A few minutes later, Commoran had left as well, looking white and shaky and Hollander's goon had hauled Amanda in to stand in front of him.

Lee couldn't hear her but the way her lips were moving a mile a minute, he knew she was on one of her lengthy rambles. "Good girl," he muttered. "Keep him talking long enough for us to get some help. Dawson, I'm going in," he alerted their backup. He tested the door, relieved to find it unlocked and eased it open, stepping in but remaining hidden behind the curtains, gun drawn.

"So I really don't know why you think I know anything about anything – my husband doesn't tell me anything about his business." Amanda's voice sounded small and frightened and Lee clenched his teeth, knowing he needed to wait for help before he could interfere.

"Oh I don't believe that man is your husband anymore, my Dear. I doubt he's even Leland Cassidy despite everything we found that confirmed that story. No, I think whoever that is out there is probably an agent… just as you are."

"But I'm not an agent," Amanda really began to babble now in her panic – and truthfully, realizing Hollander didn't believe any of their cover anymore. "I'm just a mother with two small boys at home. I'm not even supposed to be here."

"I can't disagree with you there," said Hollander with a grim smile. "Go find her partner," he ordered the goon, leaving him alone with Amanda.

"What are you going to do?" she asked quietly. Lee could tell a sort of eerie calm had come over her and he prayed she could hold it together just a bit longer.

"Oh, I'm going to kill you both," said Hollander placidly. "And then I'll go to the airport with these missile plans and vanish."

"You can't kill us in the middle of a party," she replied. "Everyone would hear it."

"No they won't," said Hollander. "There will be nothing to hear." Lee watched as he walked to the desk and opened what looked like a medical bag and carefully unwrapped a collection of syringes.

"Well, then I think I'll scream," said Amanda. Lee bit back a bitter smile at hearing his own words repeated.

"No one will hear that either," replied Hollander, chuckling. "Not with that opera singer shrieking away out there."

The door opened and the goon stuck his head in, shaking it. "He ain't anywhere."

"Well, he's somewhere! Find him! Check the whole house! Check the grounds!" Hollander growled in exasperation. "We need to act before he figures out she's gone!"

The goon nodded and disappeared again, carefully pulling the door closed behind him.

"Well, it seems like we may have run out of time, my Dear," commented Hollander turning to Amanda, syringe in hand.

Amanda jumped to her feet and tried to run for the door, but was easily caught before she reached it as Hollander grabbed her and swung her around.

They were indeed out of time. Lee stepped out from behind the curtain and trained his gun on Hollander, grimacing when he realized Amanda was now in between them. "Drop it!" he ordered. Amanda's eyes widened in surprise and then relief at his unexpected appearance.

"Ah, there you are, Mr. Cassidy or whoever you really are," answered Hollander, yanking Amanda closer. "We've been looking for you."

"So I heard. Now drop that needle before I put a bullet through you. See, I don't care if anyone hears me – you can die as noisily as you like." Lee edged closer to his target, eyes locked with Hollander, barely taking in the gasp that Amanda gave off at his words.

"Lee…"

"Quiet, Kid." His voice was grim and completely unlike what she normally heard from him.

In response, Hollander lifted the syringe and rested its sharp point against Amanda's neck and smiled. "I don't think so. I think you may actually be quite fond of your little companion here."

Lee kept his gun trained on him, mind racing for what to do. Hollander was right – Amanda was too close and even if he hit him, it was still likely that needle would go right into her throat with the impact.

Hollander gave a chuckle and began to back toward the door, dragging Amanda with him.

"Lee…"

Lee dropped his gaze from Hollander for just an instant to meet her eyes and reassure her, shocked to see the pain written there.

"It's too late," she croaked. "He already…" Her face went white as a spasm of pain hit and she sagged in Hollander's arms.

Feeling her weight go dead, Hollander pushed her away from him toward Lee and dropped the syringe as he turned to get out the door. In that instant, Lee realized that the syringe was empty and that whatever had been in it was already in Amanda. That's what that tiny gasp had been – and he'd told her to be quiet.

With a bellow of rage, he leapt forward to grab Hollander to pull him back in the room and slam him up against the wall, pressing his gun into his throat. "What did you do to her? What was in there? Tell me before I blow your damn head off!"

"Now why would I tell you that?" asked Hollander. "When you have no idea how quickly she needs help? You should probably be doing something about that." He nodded toward to where Amanda was lying prone, giving off tiny gasps of pain, her breath sounding more labored by the second. "And you could, if you were to just let me leave."

"No," he heard her breathe out. "Stop him."

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Lee was paralyzed with fear. He knew backup was on the way, but he had no idea how close it was. Amanda could have far less time than that – and Hollander was smirking at him like he knew every thought running through his head right now.

"Screw you," he said and stepped back, lowering his gun. "You're not worth killing."

"Excellent choice, Mr. Cassidy," said Hollander smoothly, pushing himself off the wall. "I'll just be going before any more of you show up."

"Oh I never said you could leave," said Lee, coolly as he lifted his gun back up and shot him in the knee.

As Hollander collapsed screaming, Lee dropped his gun to the ground and ran to kneel beside Amanda and gently roll her over. Her eyes were already cloudy and she was covered in a fine sheen of perspiration. "It hurts," she whimpered.

"I know," he said helplessly. "Help's on the way, I promise." He slipped his arms under her and gently pulled her upright before picking her up and heading for the door to the hallway.

Before he could reach it, the door suddenly burst open and Lee looked up to find Delano staring at them in horror, a crowd gathering behind him all with the same look of mixed terror and dismay on their faces. Delano stared at Amanda for a long moment, then up to meet Lee's furious expression. "I never meant for any of this to happen," he whispered brokenly.

"What did he give her? You tell me, because you know she doesn't deserve this!"

"I'm sorry. I'm really very sorry," Delano seemed unable to say anything else.

"Don't you apologise! If anything happens to her, I'll swear to you'll do your time in a wheelchair just like him. Now you talk to me, fast!"

Delano swallowed heavily. "It was Muscarine. Ten cc's."

Lee felt his chest ease slightly. Muscarine was common, and had an easily available antidote.

"Dawson, I hope you're listening. We need that ambulance here with an antidote for Muscarine fast," he said out loud as he continued to walk toward the door. "We'll meet you outside."

He carefully eased his way through the door, crowd parting in front of him as he moved down the hall, but not quickly enough. There was a sudden flurry of noise and gasps behind them and Lee looked back over his shoulder in time to see Delano lifting a gun – his gun – with a shaking hand to point it at them. He had obviously gone into full panic mode if he thought he was going to shoot his way out of this.

"I can't go to jail," he babbled. "I was a victim in all this too!"

"You coward," Lee glared at him. "You think you don't deserve to pay for this?" He looked down at Amanda, the pain of the poison written all over her face.

In response, Delano took a deep breath and aimed the gun directly at Lee's head. Before Lee could even react, the tall red-haired man who'd been at the bar with Amanda earlier leapt forward, knocking the gun from his hand and grabbing him by the lapel of his coat.

"I don't think so," he said and swung Delano around, laying him out with a single punch.

"Thank you," said Lee.

"Thank me later. Let's get her out of here," said the stranger, pushing ahead of him to start clearing people out of their way.

"I don't feel so good," murmured Amanda. "I think I ate something bad." She opened her eyes and looked at Lee fuzzily. "What if it was the cookies? Don't let Phillip and Jamie eat any of the cookies, okay? Promise me you'll take care of them, okay?"

Lee realized she was starting to slip into delirium from the poison. "Stay with me, Amanda. I'm going to get you out of here, I promise."

"Do we have to jump out a window?" she asked, plaintively. "I don't think I can do that again."

"Jump out a window?" the helpful stranger turned to look at Lee in confusion.

"Just a joke," he answered. "No, Kid, no windows this time." He watched as her eyes closed and her head lolled back and her body began to shake with convulsions. "Amanda? Amanda, stay with me, _please_." He picked up his pace as if getting to the door faster would get her help quicker.

"I can hear sirens," said the other man, echoing Lee's thoughts. "Help's coming."

Everything after that was just a long nightmare scenario of helplessness for Lee. Watching the ambulance careening up the drive, followed by Agency vehicles and agents pouring out of them, thankful that there was a party load of people willing to direct them to Delano and Hollander. Having to let the paramedics take Amanda from his arms and load her onto the gurney. Watching as they cut the sleeve off her dress so that they could hook her up to an IV and seeing the angry red mark where Hollander had stabbed her with the needle. He'd had to turn aside and vomit into the bushes as he took in how close a call it had been and then he'd looked up and found himself staring into the frightened eyes of Jake Commoran hiding in the crowd.

"You!" he bellowed, Amanda momentarily forgotten as he leapt forward to grab the terrified man. "You caused this – all of this!" Agents swarmed them before he could do anything else, pulling Commoran away in handcuffs to the back of a car. Lee realized that the stranger who’d knocked out Delano was also the one who'd pulled him away from the hapless senator.

"Stetson, leave him! You need to calm down and get in that ambulance and go with her! She needs you now." He was being not so gently pushed toward the back of the vehicle where they were loading Amanda at last.

"Okay, okay," he muttered angrily. He stepped up into the ambulance and took Amanda's cool hand where it lay limply beside her. As he gazed down at her too-still face, trying to get his emotions under control, the words the stranger had spoken finally penetrated his brain.

 _Stetson, leave him_.

"Wait a minute," he said, looking up to meet bright blue eyes watching him quizzically. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh didn't I say?" the stranger smiled as the paramedics started to swing the door shut. "I'm Leland Cassidy."

"What?" said Lee as the door clicked shut. As the ambulance pulled away, siren blaring, out of the small window, he could see the real Leland Cassidy sketching a salute toward him.

"What the hell?" Lee said out loud again.

"She's stabilized, Mr. Stetson. She'll be all right," said the paramedic as they pulled out of the driveway and onto the street. "There's a team waiting at Parker for us."

"Thank you," Lee managed to get out before turning to watch the gentle rise and fall of Amanda's chest that told him she really was still with them. "I, uh . . . I guess this one got a little rough. I'm sorry." He carefully brushed the hair away from her face, then dropped his head onto his chest. "You did a hell of a job, you really did. You might even make a decent agent someday."

"Thank you," he heard her say, and lifted his head hopefully at her voice.

"You're awake?" he asked, not at all sure he'd really wanted her to hear that last part – the last thing he needed was Amanda putting herself in danger intentionally. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Lee."

"Good. We're almost there."

"Almost where?" she looked around in confusion. "Is this our train car? Are we almost at Gstaad? I'm so glad we decided to go skiing again this year. We don't spend enough time together."

"I… what?"

She looked up at him seriously. "Lee, Darling. No models this year okay? I don't think I want an open marriage anymore."

Lee struggled to contain his desire to laugh from hysteria as Amanda continued to channel Sunny as she rambled on.

"Okay, Honey. Whatever you want," he murmured.

"Wake me when we get to Portofino," she muttered before drifting back into unconsciousness.

Lee looked up at the medic helplessly.

"She's fine," he said soothingly. "Her vitals are steady. Don't worry - last guy I saw like this was convinced he was Marlon Brando."

Lee nodded, unable to speak, and held her hand, wanting nothing more than to hear her laugh at that with him as, once again, they raced through the dark empty streets of Washington.


	14. Bedtime Stories

"So you got all the bad guys in one fell swoop?" Amanda was lying in her bed in Parker General, still pale but definitely much happier looking than she'd been scant hours ago.

"Every one of them – and they've turned in a few we didn't know about, looking for leniency," Lee answered.

Lee knew exactly how much better she looked because he hadn't left her side all night; Billy had come down to the hospital not just to check on her but to get Lee's report, knowing that he wouldn't budge until she'd regained consciousness. It had only been when the doctor had threatened to make him undergo his own check-up that he'd left to go home for a shower and a change of clothes. Even so, it had only been a few hours before he'd been back, seemingly unwilling to believe she might not have a relapse of some kind without constant supervision.

"And my red-haired man was the real Leland Cassidy?"

"Apparently," laughed Lee. "Billy says that after Harry talked to him, he wanted to come see for himself what was going on, and nobody tells a billionaire he can't do whatever he wants."

"I bet they don't," smiled Amanda, the softness of her voice telling the tale of how exhausted she still was from her ordeal. "Maybe he's always wanted to be Bruce Wayne - you know, billionaire by day, crime fighter by night."

"Maybe," laughed Lee. "I'm just glad he was there. Delano might have gotten away if he hadn't been there."

"Not for long," said Amanda comfortably, reaching out to pat his hand. "You would have stopped him."

"I had other things on my mind," admitted Lee, still unable to hide the shudder when he thought back to the events of the previous night. "But thank you for the faith in me. Anyway, Billy says he and Commoran are singing like birds."

"And Hollander?" she asked carefully. Lee knew she'd be having nightmares from that source for some time.

"He's going to prison," he answered, in clipped tones. "He'll never get out of there with what we have on him - even the East German Embassy has cut him loose and isn't trying to help him. So who are all these flowers from already? You've barely been here five minutes and it's already a florist shop." he asked, abruptly, hoping to change the subject since he wasn't sure what she remembered about him shooting Hollander and he certainly didn't want her to know Hollander was somewhere in this same building under heavy guard. "Guess I hardly even needed to bring any, you have so many already."

Amanda paused a beat, knowing what he was trying to do but feeling uneasy and hazy about why. She wished she could remember more of the previous evening but it was still just a fog of pain and noise. "Oh, they're just from people at the office. Francine came by while you were gone and brought them. No one at home knows I'm in here, except Mother."

"And what did you tell her?" asked Lee. "To explain why you're even here?"

"That I got food poisoning from some awful Japanese seafood dish that the set caterer made," Amanda smiled tiredly at him.

"Amanda!" His face lit up with real laughter for the first time in hours.

Amanda grinned at him, delighted to see the regular Lee creeping back and that shade of worry gone from his expression. "It was the obvious solution," she explained. "It explains all the IVs and why all the charts are about being poisoned and I couldn't tell her it was an allergy attack! Not so soon after last time!"

Lee sighed, his smile dimming somewhat. "Remember back when the biggest problem was always sending you home with ruined clothes instead of hospital charts?"

"Hey, at least I don't have to pay the hospital bills the way I did the clothes," she quipped, trying to keep him cheerful. "And this time, it wasn't even my own clothes that got ruined, so that's even better! Francine will just be happy it wasn't the Mugler – she loved that dress."

"You are the queen of silver linings, Kid," he couldn't help smiling at the look of mischief on her face.

"Maybe that's why it was my turn to be the one to end up flat on the floor - to enjoy the rest. I don't know why you don't like hospitals – this is great! I get to spend all day in bed, off my ankle, doing nothing, which I _never_ get to do at home. And someone brings me room service regularly and even if the food is terrible, at least I'm not the one having to make it," she went on, ticking off all the points she was making on her fingers. "Honestly, I'm always so relaxed after one of these visits. It's like a spa day."

Lee chuckled. "You're crazy, you know that? When I need a vacation, I'm not headed anywhere but the beach. Sun, sand, liquor and nobody waking you up to take your temperature all night."

"Maybe you should go have a beach vacation soon then," said Amanda, seriously. She didn't like the shadow in his eyes even though he was doing his best to look cheerful. "You deserve a break – especially after being stuck in Georgetown with me and no real social life for so long."

"Yeah, maybe I should," he agreed. "Not that our down time in Georgetown was so bad," he rushed to add. "It was kind of fun, really, except for the way it ended up."

"I think it ended up pretty well," Amanda said gently. "You caught the bad guys."

" _We_ caught the bad guys," he corrected her.

"Yeah, maybe I'll make it as an agent one day yet," she quipped, then looked confused as if she was trying to figure out where that thought had come from.

"Oh, I'm not sure that's in your future," answered Lee smoothly, then changed the subject quickly. "But for now, I should probably get out of here before Hurricane Dotty blows in."

"Yeah, you probably should," she agreed. "She already caught a glimpse of you last time – you might be hard to explain a second time, especially if she already thinks I have a billionaire husband somewhere."

"Okay." Lee got to his feet and leaned down to drop a kiss on her forehead. "If they haven't released you, I'll check in with you tomorrow – outside of visiting hours when she definitely won't see me."

"You can do that?" Amanda smiled up at him.

"Are you kidding? The nurses here love me," he said with an almost straight face.

"Oh right, I forgot," she chuckled. "See you tomorrow then."

"Yeah. Good night, Kid." He walked to the door, pausing to turn as he reached for the handle. "Amanda, you're okay, right?"

"I'm fine, Lee," she said firmly. "Really. But-" She paused and he lifted a brow inquiringly. "Lee, I forgot to ask – how did you get me out of there?"

"Oh well, no big deal. I just…."

The door suddenly opened and they both heard Dotty's voice.

"Oh there you are at last, Darling! We've had the worst time trying to find out what room you were in! Honestly, it's almost like the FBI or someone is trying to keep your whereabouts a secret! Maybe they think you're that billionaire's wife too!"

Amanda watched with glee as Lee dove behind the opening door and flattened himself against the wall. As Dotty came further into the room, trailed by the boys, and still talking a mile a minute, he grinned and winked, then pirouetted around the slowly closing door with a jaunty wave goodbye.

"Well that's a big smile, Darling! You must be feeling better already!"

"I really am, Mother. And I'm even better now that I see you, Fellas! Come here and give me a big hug!" she laughed as the boys ran into her outstretched arms.

* * *

 

Eventually even Dotty had run out of chatter and taken the boys home, leaving Amanda elated and exhausted all at the same time. It was going to be good to get home again – it couldn't happen fast enough for her. But first, there was something else she had to deal with.

"Everybody's gone, Sir. If that's what you're waiting for," said Amanda sleepily.

A chuckle came from the nurses' intercom beside her bed. "How long have you known I was listening?" asked the voice of Blue Leader.

"Well, I've been here most of a day now and it's the first time I've heard the intercom breathing," she laughed.

"Note to self: hold breath while eavesdropping," said the voice.

"Was there something I could help you with, Sir?" she asked. "Not that I can do much from here."

"No, Mrs. King, I was just checking in to make sure you really are on the road to recovery. As I told Scarecrow a few days ago, I'd prefer if we didn't let things like this happen to civilians on our watch."

"I'm fine, Sir, honestly. Just aches and pains from everything. And I hope you're not going to blame Lee for any of this – I should never have followed Hollander by myself."

"No you shouldn't." agreed the voice. "But from what I've seen, asking you not to do these things is like Canute trying to stop the tide."

"I really am sorry for all the trouble I caused," Amanda apologized again.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Mrs. King. You performed heroically in the interests of your country. I'm just glad you're on our side. I can only imagine the chaos the Russians could inflict on us if they had you as a weapon."

Amanda laughed sheepishly. "I guess that is a silver lining, Sir."

"Well, I'll let you get back to resting. But before I go, is there anything I can do for you, Mrs. King?"

"Other than call me Amanda?" she laughed softly again. "No, there's nothing I need, but, um… may I ask you something?"

"Of course, _Amanda_."

"Have we met?"

There was a long pause and then Blue Leader asked, "Now why on earth would you think that?"

Amanda took a deep breath and rushed into it. "Well, this is going to sound really silly if I'm wrong but I've been reading this Australian history book that Francine gave Lee as a joke when we started this cover and it mentioned that James Cook discovered Australia but there was also this chapter on slang and when we spoke the first time, you made a comment about Leland Cassidy living beyond the black stump which is a term in the book, and it also said that people with red hair in Australia are usually nicknamed Bluey which made me think of Blue Leader. And so I thought maybe, well, that you're Leland Cassidy. The real one. And that's why you were really at the party."

The pause this time was much longer and then the voice spoke again, laughter evident this time. "You really are a wonder, Amanda. Billy Melrose is right about you."

"And from what Lee will tell me, you really were an angel last night, Mr. Cassidy," she replied softly. "Not just for that accident with the wine, but everything else. Thank you for that."

"It was my pleasure, Amanda, although I trust you won't share this with anyone? Not even Scarecrow?"

"Oh no, Sir. Need to know all the way, Sir."

"Thank you. Oh, but Amanda?"

"Yes Sir?"

"Bruce Wayne? Really? I'm much more Tony Stark from Iron Man. You know – the whole billionaire inventor thing? Charming, handsome, a way with the ladies? Actually, scratch that last part – the real Mrs. Cassidy would disagree."

Amanda couldn't help the giggles at the mental image, but abruptly stopped at his next words.

"But if you're looking for the lonely orphan taking on the world in revenge for his parents' death, you don't need to look any further than your partner."

There was a long silence then, before Amanda spoke again "Lee is a very private person and I've always tried to respect that," she said carefully. "Won't he be upset if he finds out you told me that?"

"Probably – but since he hasn't, I think you should have some idea what you're dealing with," Cassidy admitted. "Even Melrose says Stetson was well on his way to burning out from losing his partner before you came along. I don't want his reticence to interfere in what seems to be a positive influence."

"I'm just Lee's friend," she protested. "I'm not trying to influence him!"

"That's all I'm asking, Amanda. Like the song says, he gets by with a little help from his friends and maybe it's a mother's intuition, but you seem to understand him better than most. I'm not asking you to interfere with him, just be there to serve as a reminder why we do this."

"Well, that's ridiculous! He doesn't need reminding," Amanda defended Lee hotly, sitting upright and waving her arms as if he could see her. "He is your best agent and he fights the worst kind of people for you every day!"

"That's exactly what I mean, Amanda," said Cassidy quietly. "Stetson may always know what he's fighting _against_ , but that's not enough – we have to remember what we're fighting _for_. Believe me, it's far too easy to forget that in this job, but I'll tell you something – the look on his face when he carried you out of that room? He remembers why he's fighting now."

"Oh." Amanda fell back against the pillow and considered that. "I think I understand now, Sir."

"Good. I'll keep an eye on you both. Reading between the lines in Stetson's case notes has always been entertaining but I feel like it will be even more so now that I've met you. And Amanda? If you ever need anything, that was my real private number I wrote on that napkin so don't lose it. Good night, Amanda."

"Good night, Sir." Amanda heard the intercom click off and sighed. She looked over at the bouquet of bright yellow flowers Lee had brought with him and smiled contentedly. "He carried me."


End file.
